A Dragon From Immolation
by legoman7861
Summary: During his fight with Zero, Natsu promised Igneel that he would never doubt his strength as a Dragon Slayer again. However, looking back over his past achievements, what could he be feeling BUT doubt? In order to prove his worth to Fairy Tail, Natsu will make a split second decision that will change his life life forever. Prepare for a dragon to be born from immolation.
1. Chapter 1 - A Feeble Slayers Resolve

**Author's Note:** It's great to finally be able to express myself in a form of writing easily accessible to others! My internet name is Legoman7861, and I welcome you to my very first Fanfiction. As of lately, I've been noticing that I have a considerable amount of free time on my hands and want to write something that not only gives me something to do in my free time, but also contributes to an audience.

I intend for my writing to give readers as much imagery, description, and development as possible, as their purposes will be pivotal throughout the plot later on. Please bear in mind that this fanfiction is a split off from the S-Class examination trials, and for that reason, there will inevitably be some parts of my Fanfiction that I will have to describe in depth due to needing to reframe my plot due to this diversion. I already have a foreseeable structure mapped out for a large majority of the Fanfiction that I intend to fulfill.

So if anything seems ambiguous, would like to post CONSTRUCTIVE criticism or would like to supplement me with possible plot interventions as I am reframing a large part of the anime, please feel free to notify me. If my audience members provide me with questions, plot ideas, or criticism, I will attempt to address them ASAP within the author's note of a future chapter and might even consider intertwining them within my plot. I please ask of you to bear with me throughout this little story. As I said before, I've has a lot of free time on my hands lately, however, for me, it takes quite some time to write content that I find worthy to upload. The next chapter could take a few weeks AT LEAST. I will be keeping constant updates, so don't worry about me vanishing!

Lastly, as a disclaimer, the fanfiction cover image belongs to the company Atlus. The image will play an insurmountable role much later in the plot.

I digress from this momentary interlude. Without further waiting, I give you the first chapter of:

* * *

A Dragon From Immolation

 **Chapter one: A Feeble Slayer's Resolve**

 _"Feeble."_ That was the word running across Natsu Dragneel's mind lately. As he walked through the forest outlining the field upon which his house laid in, Natsu wondered if he would even be as powerful as he is without his guildmates. " _Am… Am I only powerful because they help me? How can you I even be called a Dragon Slayer considering the outcomes of my past victories?_ " Although Natsu has been plagued by these thoughts lately, he knew very well that these thoughts would be considered taboo by his father, Igneel. During Natsu's battle with Zero, Igneel was the one who told Natsu in the void that he should never forget that he is a true Dragon Slayer and that no that no matter what happened, Igneel would always be proud of him.

However, Igneel was not here with Natsu like when he was a child. That was the honest truth that Natsu hated to admit. Ironically, this should have been a rather happy time for Natsu. He was finally reunited with Lisanna after the entire Edolas fiasco, got the courage to ask her to become his girlfriend a year ago, and the S-Class Examinations were only a week away. That would be the perfect opportunity for him to demonstrate his abilities if it weren't for the regulations set forth by Master Makarov. "All S-Class Participants must have an accompaniment to aid them in their journey," Natsu sighed out as he continued walking.

Over the span of his journeys, Natsu's feeling of self doubt and uselessness can mainly be credited towards how the outcomes of his past victories were achieved. Although he didn't realize it then, Natsu's first encounter with questioning his power arose when he stole the S-Class quest for lifting the curse from Galuna Island. He wanted to show Master Makarov that he had the potential to handle quests of S-Class caliber. However, he did not intend for Gray to settle his feud with his lifelong _**Ice-Make**_ rival along with Erza showing up and solving the riddle to the villager's transformation problem.

Similarly, throughout his battle with Gajeel and the Phantom Lord Guild hall, Natsu was completely outmatched for the majority of the fight due to a lack of magical power. "Although I hate to admit that Pole Head is better than me, if it weren't for Lucy's Sagittarius creating fire from igniting that spark, I can't say Gajeel would have left my body intact _._ " Natsu cringed. Sure, Natsu was the victor of the battle. But he would have easily succumbed to Gajeel if Lucy was rendered unconscious by the time Natsu arrived at the scene.

Another instance was when he confronted Laxus in the battle of Fairy Tail. At this point, Natsu was certain that that moment would have been the opportunity he needed to prove his magical capabilities by taking down Fairy Tail's strongest mage. But of course, the only Fairy Tail members at the time who were physically able to fight Laxus were Natsu AND Gajeel. Without Gajeel redirecting Laxus's Heavenward Halberd spell, Natsu wouldn't have had the magical capability do defend the spell while still being able to continue fighting. "At this point, it's either that the alternative outcome for my past 'victories' proves that I'm too weak to handle a higher level of magic potential or that I only have usefulness when I depend on my team. What's worse?" Natsu sarcastically questioned to himself out loud.

And finally, the most recent and most glaring instance that represented Natsu's lack of power was when he fought the leader of the Oracion Seis, Zero. During this battle, Natsu was able to achieve the most powerful form a Dragon Slayer could, the Dragon Force. However, the only reason he was able to reach this level of power was through Jellal's Flames of Rebuke. This is where Natsu assumed the worst, "If it weren't for those flames that Jellal leant me, Igneel wouldn't have given me that advice on how to escape the void that Zero trapped me inside. That's because… Igneel would have already known at that point that no amount of encouragement would have helped me to escape my death. I'm not even powerful enough to even achieve my full potential by myself." Natsu gritted through his teeth. "Speaking of Jellal," Natsu began again, "I've always wanted to know where he learned such a powerful spell."

None of these instances were a matter of whether or not Natsu's guildmates aided him. In fact, he was grateful in every way possible for them supporting his back. Instead, Natsu had come to terms that he wouldn't have had the magical power to resolve the issues on his own accord. _"It's almost as if I feel obligated to prove my worth to not only my guild, but to the ones that I care for the most. That way, I know for certain that I not only have power to handle quests that require a higher level of magic skill, but just as importantly I can prove that I'm capable of providing for my Nakama in return for the countless times they have provided for me! Now THE REAL question is what can I do solve both my problems? "_

" **GRRRuuuggg,"** Before Natsu could finish his thoughts, he heard a harsh noise coming from his stomach. "Thinking gets stressful," Natsu huffed, "Maybe Lisanna's down for food at the bar!" He added with a brightened tone.

Feeling slightly satisfied with coming to a resolve for his most troubling issue, the Pinkette attempted to ease the remainder of his problems by taking into account the scenery that he considered part of his property rather than cut straight through the inner field he used for training. The forest he was walking through outlined a sizeable field approximately two acres in area that was used for training. Towards the front middle of the field lay his house with a backdoor leading to the entire area that his property lied upon. In the distance after leaving his house through the backdoor one could see ever so slightly the mist emitted from the waterfalls in the background with Magnolia town residing in the direction his front door faced. Magnolia Town's charter was only a 30 second walk away, yet Natsu's house remained on a raised plateau with a steep inclining leading up to his front door giving any residents of his house a breathtaking view of the town's commerce.

Everything that lied on Natsu's property was built from scratch. Before his house resided on the raised plateau, the forest at one time covered the field that he used for training. "I sure worked my ass off to afford this place." Natsu meekly smiled. The time and dedication it took to clear out the trees in a perfect rectangle was unbelievable which only complemented the hard working nature Natsu had at times. It cost him 500,000 Jewels to purchase the charter from the Magnolia Town mayor which was equivalent to two years of his work when he first joined Fairy Tail as a child. The entire layout wasn't overly massive, but it was definitely something that Natsu was proud to call "home."

As he passed around his home and crossed the boundary into Magnolia Town towards Lisanna's house, Natsu's constant reflections toward his childhood triggered a nostalgia trip that reminded him of when he put himself in the predicament he was in.

* * *

Scene Change – X777 (Seven years ago), Fairy Tail Guild hall

"What do you mean I can't leave the guild hall?!" Natsu blurted out. All he came into town for was to ask directions to the nearest port so he could continue his search for his lost father. Now he was somehow entangled in an argument with some old man sitting on top of the hall's bar countertop on whether or not he was able to leave and continue his search.

"You heard me lad. It's obvious to me that you have no guardian to look after you, otherwise you wouldn't be wandering around Magnolia town all alone in the condition you are in." Makarov stated as he viewed the young boy's clothing. The old guild master admitted within his mind that he truly did feel remorse for the poor ragamuffin's state. The pink haired kid who stood in front of him was covered in dirt that was etched into the smallest crevices of his skin. His hair had the consistency of barn hay and his clothes had wrinkles on every piece of fabric. The sandals that he was wearing were tied together with makeshift material as the straps had broken off from strenuous walking. Surprisingly, there remained a white scarf with black thread wrapped around his neck that looked to be in better condition than the boy himself. "Anyways, you should be grateful that I found you wandering around town when I went to purchase my special edition magazines!" Makarov finished with an eager tone in his voice.

"But I have a duty to find my dad!"

"And I have a duty as the master of this guild to ensure you stay safe and out of harms trouble!" Makarov stated as a rebuttal. "I understand that you want to find your father, but you're approaching the situation from the wrong direction! I may be 81 years old, but even I alone don't know the solutions to all the worlds' problems. Young man, I know nothing of your past, where you come from, your name, or any of your background for that matter. Hell, you could have been a part of a dark guild before arriving here. What I do know, however, is that you're standing in front of people willing to give their lives for this guild if it meant the other members could live another day! Believe me when I say that I want you to find your father. However, Fairy Tail mages don't abandon each other when they are in need of help the most. That would be an insult to our guild's legacy! I may be the master of this guild, but first and foremost I a mage of Fairy Tail."

Little do the two know that the entire guild was now tuned in to Master Makarov's pseudo-speech. Many of the guildmates sat in complete awe as moments like these deserved complete silence. One guild member, however, whose back was facing Natsu, took this as an opportunity to join the conversation.

"I know what you're thinking: That you're not a member of our family so how should we be able to help you? I know this because I felt the same way when I first joined Fairy Tail. When I was really little, my parents died in an accident dealing with mixing and experimenting with spells and me and my bigger brother and sister were left homeless. No one would adopt us because my big sister, Mirajane, was with my parents when the accident that killed them happened and got magic that transformed parts of her body into scary monsters. My older brother Elfman and I were the only comfort she had. Everyone who she tried talking to either ran away or screamed for help because they were afraid that she was going to hurt them. The three of us traveled for months until we reached the Fairy Tail Guild hall. Instead of running away like everyone else, Master Makarov along with the rest of the guild members gave us food to eat and even listened to how my sister got her magic. They also made an exception and let Mira, Elfman and I live in the guild hall. However, most importantly, he and the rest of the Fairy Tail Guild members made us their Nakama."

At this point, all the guild members turned their focus towards the new speaker and some of the listeners even had tear streaks running across their faces as they remembered the day this event all occurred. Natsu only felt guilt. This wasn't just because a girl around his age, presumed by the sound of her voice, was spilling her tragic life story. His guilt was primarily caused because he realized that he was being selfish in this situation. How other way could he respond to this situation other than accepting Master Makarov's offer? Natsu at least had the luxury of being raised by a father figure throughout his childhood, unlike this girl. Unknown to him, the girl was sitting on one of the bar benches off to left side of the guild entrance. Although the crowd that gathered around Natsu and Master Makarov turned their attention towards the girl, they continued to hide her figure until she decided to emerge from the crowd. The girl, whose back that was facing Natsu, turned around, stood up, lifted her hanging head, and stared into his brown eyes. As she began to walk towards him, Natsu was immediately able to confirm that the girl who joined the conversation was slightly younger than he was. She had large, innocent blue eyes which complemented the gentle way she talked. The girl also had white hair that was perfectly rounded on top while going down to her cheeks on both sides of her ears. Her cheeks had a slight red flush to them and the girl was wearing a white dress that went slightly past her knees.

"Master and Lisanna are right you know." Another guild member chimed in. This time, Natsu was immediately met with their appearance as the person started walking towards him from the crowd. "You can't just waltz around the world hoping that you'll somehow run into your missing father again, especially considering the condition you are in. You'll have the best chances of finding who you're looking for if you ask for help and think about where he would most likely be at this time." The girl finished. She had red hair which was the same shade as blood which created bangs on both sides of her forehead. Judging from her more sophisticated language, Natsu assumed that this new girl was a couple years older than the one who just finished spilling her life's tragedy. She wore leather combat boots that matched her leather belt which supported a scabbard with a golden sword hilt jetting from the top. Her entire attire consisted of a white tunic that went up to her palms and covered her knees. The finishing touch was a light armored breast plate covering her chest for protection. "The name's Erza Scarlet. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. The person who you were just arguing with is Master Makarov and considering I just mentioned her a second ago, you can probably guess that this little one right here is Lisanna." Erza finished whilst ruffling Lisanna's hair.

"Hey, I'm only three years younger than you, Erza!" Lisanna argued.

"Anyways," Erza snickered, "You're technically not a Fairy Tail member until you get the badge imprinted on your body. However, that doesn't mean that we don't care about you. I think you'd make a great guild member. We could put all that pent up energy into protecting your new guild members." As she finished her statement, a large portion of the guild began to lighten up from Lisanna's original comment and even start to jeer at Erza's remark.

"Know it all." Natsu sneered under his breath. He hated being wrong as his personality stemmed from his father, Igneel. Igneel always had full confidence in his own magic potential and would never back down from a challenge. He would constantly boast about his magical capabilities going as far as saying that no one would survive the true "wrath of Igneel." Igneel and Natsu lived in complete isolation for the majority of Natsu's childhood, so it wasn't abnormal of Natsu to reject help and aid from strangers he didn't know. " _Erza and that old man are right. What was his name gain? Was it Wakanose? I'll just stick with Gramps. I've been searching for Igneel for months now and still have no idea where he is. Maybe if I join this guild they can at least help me find him."_ As Natsu finished coming to a conclusion, another guild mate had a different perspective that they felt needed to be shared with the guild.

"What do you mean he's joining us Erza? He walks into OUR guild hall like he owns the place, talks bad in front of Master Makarov, and now you're suggesting that he joins Fairy Tail like some hot head?" The young boy spat.

In no time at all, the entire guild turned around at breakneck speed to see who challenged their new arrival. The person, who just recently entered the guild hall, was leaning against the guild's entrance with his legs crossed. The bright light only outlined a silhouette of his figure. After a few seconds, the person began to emerge from the blinding light and revealed his physical appearance with every step into the guild hall. The young boy who objected to Natsu joining the guild was around his age judging from their similar height. Natsu noticed that the person's physique was rather lean for his age as he completed his head-to-toe examination. The boy's hair was similar to Natsu's in that it was unkempt albeit being very dark indigo in color and much cleaner than Natsu's at the time. To his surprise, the most glaring feature which Natsu immediately took into account was that his provoker was wearing no shirt at the time. In fact, the only attire that he could be seen wearing was his undergarments which consisted of a pair of blue boxers. Other than that, the only other items he had on his body were the Fairy Tail Guild mark on his upper right chest which matched the color of his hair and a necklace which reassembled a sword with the cross section of its hilt held together by a gemstone.

As the boy was now mere feet away from Natsu, he took this as a time retort. "I thought Fairy Tail members were supposed to help others to stay safe and out of harm's way? Or did the person who stole your clothes scare you to the point you can't think properly?" Natsu said with a flared smirk on his face.

"Fairy Tail members help other people stay out of harm's way. Bad guys like you deserve no help from mages like us. In the end, you'll end up feeling the power of our guild like all our other enemies." The young boy retorted.

"I guess you haven't met many good mages if you're still able to be that mouth of y-."

Without warning, Gray lunged towards Natsu with full intent. Natsu immediately backpedaled and stepped to the side to evade Gray's sucker punch which would have left him reeling had it landed.

" **Ice Make: Fist!"** Gray followed up with as he continued his onslaught. Natsu was forced to go on defensive in order to evade Gray's spell. Being quick on his feet, Natsu was able to catapult off of the wreckage that Gray destroyed when he first attacked him and intentionally set himself airborne. He took this momentary level advantage to form his hands into a funnel, place it against his mouth and inhale deeply through it. Master Makarov easily predicted where this was going, and before he could activate his spell, Natsu felt a hard surface slam on top of his head which sent him back down to earth putting him out of the fight.

The guild members that witnessed the event unfold surprisingly didn't join the brawl. Instead, they watched Master Makarov break up the fight by stopping Natsu before he was able to activate his spell midair. None of the members were stunned by what had just occurred. Guild brawls were common throughout the guild considering Master Makarov approved of them. If they eventually got out of hand, he had the magical capabilities to stop the participants before the entire guild hall was leveled. This was quite ironic considering how stingy the old guild master could be at times. In the past he even forced the guild members to eat outside the mess hall for an entire month as he couldn't afford to waste water rinsing off the tables. This was largely due to the numerous fires caused by the other guild members spells throughout brawls needing to be doused with water. The possibility of repeating that again was enough for many guild members to decide to not join the brawl.

"What was that for?!" Natsu screamed as Master Makarov released him from being squashed against the ground. Gray was now on his back laughing at the outcome of their fight and at how bad his opponent was beaten.

"Great job on your victory, Champ!" Gray sarcastically stuttered.

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you, Gray. I was forced to stop Natsu before he activated his spell as we don't know the capabilities he has as a mage just yet." Makarov stated with caution. "For all we know, he could have leveled the entire guild floor with that spell he was about to use."

Erza, having witnessed the entire scene unfold, walked up to gray and picked him up by his armpits and shoved him towards the area that Natsu began resurfacing from. "As you know by now, this is Gray. Don't mind his attitude; he's never been too fond of new arrivals… Graaaaaaayy," Erza implied, "Is there something you would like to say to Natsu?"

Gray immediately straightened his slouched back out of fear and apologized with, "I'msorryforstartingafightwithyou. FairyTailmembersalwayshelpotherpeopleinneed. Pleasejointheguild!" He hurriedly finished as he got to his knees. Gray knew how strict Erza was and if he was the reason that Natsu changed his mind and refused to join the guild, he would never hear the end of the punishment that would follow.

Natsu was at a loss of words. He knew that Gray had no need to beg for him to join the guild as Gramps wasn't going to let him leave until he did. Furthermore, he wasn't about to take advantage of Gray and start making demands of him in order to join the guild. Igneel would have found that dishonorable. Seeing no other option, Natsu eventually succumbed to the guild's desires and muttered, "Fine, what do I have to do to join the stupid family?"

Following this statement, the entirety of the guild roared in approval and began to party like it was heaven on Fiore. Lisanna was so ecstatic that she ran up to Natsu and tackled him onto the ground into a giant bear hug causing Natsu to blush from embarrassment. Erza kneeled down beside him and did her version of a pat on the back which nearly dislocated Natsu's shoulder. Gray was simply grateful to have not been ground to a pulp by Erza. _"I guess I now have a new person to beat up in our guild brawls,"_ Gray meekly thought, _"I'll just have to show him that he's never going to be a better mage than me."_

It wasn't up until this point that Master Makarov realized that he was forgetting one bit of crucial information about the boy. He was at a loss of words for how it went unnoticed for this long. "QUIET DOWN EVERYONE!" Master Makarov boomed with his _**Giant Magic.**_ In an instant, the entire guild ruckus came to a halt as many believed they took their party out of control and awaited their punishment. Satisfied with the situation, Master Makarov began walking towards their newest member. "I think I would be speaking for everyone when I say we would all like to know your name." It was at that moment the guild realized that the old guild master was right. Embarrassingly enough, not one member knew his name yet.

Natsu took a few seconds to comprehend the situation. "Did I really go this entire time without saying my name?" He thought out loud. He wasn't expecting the rest of the guild to respond with nods and surprised looks. "Can't help what already happened," Natsu smirked and declared, "My name is Natsu. Natsu Dragneel. I see that people have their guild marks in different places on their body. Can I get mine on my right shoulder in red?" He finished with a toothy grin.

* * *

Scene Change – Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Same Day

"Hey Lisanna, I can go on a job as long as I get it approved by the master, right?" Natsu was now gazing upon the job board posted in the left corner of the guild. He was only diverting his attention on occasion to speak to Lisanna

"That's how it works." Lisanna chimed.

"If I knew being in Fairy Tail would be this awesome, I would have joined much sooner!" Natsu blurted excitedly. "Being in a guild is just what I needed to find my dad! I can take jobs that allow me to earn money while continuing my journey across Fiore in search of him!"

"Aww is the little baby getting excited?" Mirajane cooed with a patronizing tone.

"You shouldn't make fun of him like that, Mirajane." Elfman said while hiding behind the job board. "Remember when people were scared when you tried talking to them because you couldn't control your _**Satan Soul**_? Natsu probably feels the same way every time you tease him."

"Elman's right, Mira, Stop teasing Natsu," Lisanna huffed, "You know he's still a new guild member." Lisanna admitted that Mirajane's personality completely changed when she started mastering her magic. She was no longer shy and meek like she used to be when the two of them were homeless with their middle brother, Elfman. Her _**Satan Soul**_ magic completely altered her persona. She acted and dressed like a tomboy, constantly picked fights with other guild members to demonstrate her superiority, and teased the smaller members of the guild by scaring them with her demonic side. Elfman was literally the complete opposite. He was always vouching for other guild members and willing to help them whenever they may need aid.

"Whatever." Mirajane sneered as she backed away to lean against the job board's leg. Although she constantly teased many of the guildmates with her newfound power, Mirajane was ready to protect her Nakama at all costs. Just like any other Fairy Tail member. However, there was no way in hell she planned on admitting that.

"So Natsu," Lisanna diverted back to the subject, "You never told me anything about your father or the type of magic that you use. Was he the one to teach you your magic?"

"Lisanna, you know better than to ask the boy such a personal question. Although we are all Nakama a part of the same guild, we come from different backgrounds and history. If he wants to share his past with us, then he will tell us when that time-."

"Don't worry about it, Gramps," Natsu interrupted, "Finding my dad was the entire reason I joined Fairy Tail so it only makes sense for me to tell you about him."

Taking interest in where the conversation was leading, Erza got up from her seat at the far end of the bar and approached Master Makarov's position at the other corner of the bar's countertop to learn about Natsu's personal history.

"My father's name is Igneel and he's King of the Fire Dragons. He taught me **Fire Dragon Slayer Magic,"** Natsu blatantly stated. The few guild members who were tuned into the conversation succumbed to an awkward silence until three seconds into it Mirajane fell onto the ground laughing hysterically. Simultaneously, Gray fell out of his bar stool next to Master Makarov letting off a roar equivalent to a Dragon.

"When did Snow Flake over there tune into the conversation," Natsu asked dumbfounded, "And what's so funny?!"

Around 15 seconds into her laughter, Mirajane mustered the strength to stand back up and say, "For… For a little guy like you, I find it surprising that you were able to lie easier than the demons that created my magic." she said through stuttered speech. Gray, on the other hand, couldn't manage to get up. He was paralyzed by laughter and the farfetched situation at hand.

"It's… It's not a lie!" Natsu's voice quivered.

"Yeah, and Erza's stronger than me." Mirajane stated through her raspy breathing.

" **WHAT WAS THAT?!"** Erza boomed while changing her focus from Natsu to Mirajane. Enraged, she charged towards Mirajane ready to unsheathe her sword at a dimes notice. Not wanting anyone else in the guild to see the state he was about to be reduced to, Natsu bolted from the guild before he could be caught up in the guild's brawl. The entire time tears were pouring from his eyes. Although Mirajane's snarky comment became the catalyst to another momentous guild brawl triggered by their fight, Lisanna was sharp enough to have seen Natsu bolt out of the guild before he was caught up in it.

Natsu darted out of the guild hall and made an immediate left turn. He didn't know where he was going as the majority of the time he spent in Magnolia town was inside the Fairy Tail Guild hall. All he wanted was to get as far and as fast away from it as he could. Natsu was already struggling to run considering the guild hall lied upon a hill and he was traveling up the remainder of it towards a plateau. The condition he was currently in didn't help to his benefit him either. His sandals kept hindering the pace he could run at and tears mixed with mucus were clouding his vision. He didn't care if Erza was chasing after him with her sword or even if Elfman wanted to give him company, Natsu just wanted time to himself.

Natsu finally approached the raised plateau that the steep hill incline lead to. Using the remainder of his strength, he powered through the last leg of his journey by lifting his body up onto the level of raised ground that he desired to reach. His back continued to face the Fairy Tail Guild hall as he continued to stare at the seemingly endless forest that lay in front of him on top of the plateau he was on. Natsu briefly looked over his shoulder to see that the guild was roughly a mile away. Satisfied with the distance he put between the guild members who completely ridiculed him and himself, Natsu began to vent his anger and frustration by destroying the trees that outlined the plateau he was on. He was careful enough to not venture into the forest where he would get lost and made sure that the trees he destroyed wouldn't start ablaze. The last thing he needed was to cause unwanted attention or turn the entire forest into an inferno.

After around 15 minutes, he took a moment to marvel at the destruction he caused. Natsu cleared out all the trees in a ten foot radius which gave him a much better view of his surroundings. Around two miles towards the right rear of the plateau and opposite of where he came from was mist from a large waterfall that slowly crept towards where he was standing. Although the mist wasn't nearly able to reach him, it complemented the setting sun in the background by blocking out any additional glare that would have disrupted his field of vision. The plateau that he was on wasn't overly massive by any means. If he had to put a number on it, Natsu would guess that it was around six acres in size. Although it was primarily covered by trees save the area that Natsu cleared in his moment of vexation, it reminded him of the cave where Igneel raised him as his son. "I sure wish I lived here," Natsu said with jealousy, "Maybe if I get Erza to go on some jobs with me, I can afford to build a house on top of this hill." He smiled.

After a few moments, Natsu's thoughts shifted towards something more serious. Something that he wouldn't know would have such an impact on his life. "Mirajane and Gray may have called me a liar," Natsu stated with fact, "But I know that's not true. I'm going to work hard at proving my worth to not only my guild, but to you Igneel. I don't know how long it'll take, but one day, my time will come." He declared while staring over the horizon across Magnolia town.

Natsu's thoughts were interrupted as he heard staggering coming up the path he originally traveled on to arrive at his location. "If you've come to make fun of me, Mira, you don't have to anymore. No one at the guild believed that my dad was a dragon anyways. So much for always being there when I need you to support me the most." Natsu scoffed.

"But I'm not here to make fun of you." Said a small white haired girl as her head popped over the ledge of the plateau.

"Oh, it's you Lisanna. If you're going to make fun of me because you don't think my dad was a dragon, you don't need to, because it's not like any of the other guild members believed me in the fir-." Before he could continue, the white haired girl let out a sharp gasp as her hands covered her mouth. As she looked around, she could see that a good portion of the trees around Natsu had either been cut down or reduced to ash. The surrounding trees still standing had dark scorch marks littered across their trunks which could have only be caused by an unnatural event.

"Did… I mean were… Were you the one to do this?" Lisanna questioned in awe.

"Yeah, what of it?" Natsu asked. Without warning Lisanna tackled him to the ground and enveloped him in another hug. "Is this going to happen often?" Natsu deadpanned.

"Sorry," Lisanna giggled, "It's just that I knew you were really powerful which was why I chased you out here. I didn't care that Mira and Gray were laughing because I wanted to make sure you didn't run off. Now that I saw how powerful a dragon can be, I can't wait to rub it in their faces!"

"Don't worry Lisanna, I wouldn't have run off. In fact, this situation constantly happened on a regular basis when I was searching for Igneel before I even arrived at Fairy Tail. Whenever someone asked me for a description of my dad, they would just laugh and tell me to waste someone else's time"

"Then why did you run away?" Lisanna questioned with relief.

"Because… Because this is the first family I've had since Igneel left me." Natsu stated with the most sincere tone he could muster.

Lisanna couldn't hold it in anymore. Upon hearing that line, she burst into tears and buried her face into Natsu's ripped shirt. All that mattered was that Natsu didn't hate her.

* * *

Scene Change – Present day time

"I never even considered it back then because I just joined the guild, but what Gramps said applies to what I'm facing today. 'Fairy Tail mages help others in aid'. At least I can say that I was able to build my own house, if nothing else." Natsu Chuckled. "It's like Lisanna is the only person who trusts and believes in my strength", Natsu referred to when she embraced him on top of where his new home lies.

Over the next two years from the time when he first joined Fairy Tail, Natsu slaved away at clearing the plateau of trees one by one to the point where he could comfortably train on it. He was serious about wishing he could live there as the scenery represented the quintessence of nature. Not only did it supplement for a vast training ground that he could use without worry of his spells misfiring, but it was more than enough room to. Acquiring the land didn't demand for him to request a charter from the Magnolia Town Mayor, either, since his property technically didn't reside within the Magnolia town border.

As stubborn as he could be at times, Natsu remembered the oath he took all too long ago. _"I'm going to work hard at proving my worth to you Igneel. I don't know how long it'll take, but one day, my time will come."_ He recited within the depths of his mind. Natsu knew one thing for sure… He still didn't know how much longer it would take to prove his worth. It's been seven long years since he made his promise, and that promise alone was motivation enough to see it through to the end considering Natsu refused to break them. Seeing that he had made absolutely zilch progress as of now, that was now immediately tied into the predicament he was facing: Self Doubt, dishonor, and feebleness.

"Anyways, I'm not going to continue to plague my thoughts with negativity considering I have a new resolve," Natsu firmly declared, "I prove my worth to my Nakama and Igneel, show them the potential that I can achieve with my magic, and provide for the ones I care about in return for the countless times they have provided for me. Too bad that's easier said than done," Natsu sighed, "But at least I'll be able to come to terms with my lack of strength of a mage until that moment arises."

With his predicament being put on a temporary hiatus, Natsu walked down his dirt path away from his house. Each step into Magnolia Town only increased his desire to look forward to his date with Lisanna: Holding his head towards the horizon and the future that awaited him.

* * *

Thank you for your time!


	2. Chapter 2 - Lisanna's Lover

**Author's Note:** Guess what? For anyone who is tired of the flashbacks and repeated scenes from the anime that have happened so far, this should be the last chapter with them for quite some time now. I just used them to set some kind of background before we get into the good stuff! In fact, the next chapter should be the split second decision that Natsu has to make. However, there's one con to both of these pros…

There's no way I'll be able to spit out chapters every few days. It's just not possible. Starting this next chapter, the entire anime plot is going to be reframed for a while. Furthermore, college starts back up for me on Monday. This sucks because the fanfiction is just now getting to the good stuff! What can you do, though?

I digress; I can't wait for these upcoming chapters! Expect the next chapter in about a month (?). Until then, I'll be seeing you around!

* * *

A Dragon From Immolation

 **Chapter two: Lisanna's Lover**

Natsu had to admit that Magnolia Town was undeniably beautiful even from ground level. Regardless of where an observer was viewing it from, the town's commerce was a spectacle to behold. The pulchritude and tranquility that it supplemented was more than enough to lift Natsu's burden off his shoulders. In addition to his lightened mood, he was also looking forward to his date with Lisanna at the guild. Lisanna was currently living with her siblings in an apartment just outside the Fairy Tail courtyard. The three of them decided to live together as they found it much more economically friendly to split the rent bill between the three of them. Their apartment was desirable to say the least considering it resided in the northern part of Magnolia town. Because of its location, both Natsu's house and the Fairy Tail Dormitory, where their friends lived, were equidistant from each other in walk time.

Magnolia town was ironically small considering it was home to the guild most notorious for its rowdy parties, so it wasn't to Natsu's surprise that Lisanna's apartment was already in sight. The walk to her apartment only took 15 minutes for Natsu complete which continued to represent Magnolia's miniscule size. The tightly packed houses and narrow streets were enough to make Natsu grateful that he lived on an open space of land separate from the cramp interior of the town. Lisanna's apartment was lucky to have been built next to the channel connecting the massive lake behind the Fairy Tail Guild hall to the waterways that ran through the town. This at least provided Lisanna and her siblings with some sense of openness and comfort.

As he exited the narrow street and walked up to Lisanna's door, Natsu took into account the features of Lisanna's apartment since he rarely visited it. Most of their time was spent together at the guild hall or on missions so there was no need to spend time at each other's houses. The apartment was substantially larger than the surrounding houses as there were three different siblings living under the same roof as opposed to an apartment like Lucy's which only housed her. The exterior was constructed using an assortment of white and beige bricks that gave the accommodation a warm and comforting look. The window panes were complemented by brown window shutters that supported the whitish-brown exterior. At the entrance to the apartment was a custom straw doormat that read "Strauss Siblings" which signified who the homeowners were and gave the suite a finishing touch. Natsu stepped up to the welcoming doormat and firmly knocked on the wooden door…

" **ThudThudThud."** He heard as his knuckles rapped against the door.

After around ten seconds, the door was answered by a woman with white, wavy hair that cascaded down her back. Her bangs were tied up into a tuft supported by a small band that prevented it from drooping. Her most distinguishing characteristic was her hour glass figure that was accompanied by a red dress that was held up with a pink bow that was fastened just above her bust. However, her most prominent facial feature was the innocent smile that she had plastered across her face. "Natsu, it's so great to see you!" The woman exclaimed ecstatically before embracing Natsu into a small brotherly hug inside the atrium.

"It's great to see you to, Mira." Natsu responded while returning the same affection.

"Feel free to sit down while I call Lisanna," Mirajane gestured towards the couch inside the living room besides the apartment entrance… "Lisanna, your boy toy is here to see you!" She cooed in a childish voice directed towards the nearby staircase.

 **"MIRAJANE!"** A younger girl yelped from upstairs. Natsu's face immediately turned a fierce shade of crimson as he took a seat on the couch that Mirajane offered.

"I'm just kidding," She began to giggle uncontrollably from Natsu's and Lisanna's reactions. "But remember Natsu, if I find out you try and step over your boundaries, I'll be first to know." She teased with her demon persona. Regardless of how many times she would mock Natsu as a child, Mirajane always had a soft spot for him in her heart because he was never self-centered. Natsu always would go out of his way to brighten someone else's day, protect his Nakama, or give advice to other mages. Hell, even Romeo looked up to him as a role model. She was glad that Lisanna was with someone like him.

"I can't believe you don't trust me, Mira. You know that I would never take advantage of Lisanna like that." Natsu groaned in annoyance. Although he wouldn't admit it, Natsu was first and foremost a gentleman. Unlike Macao and Wakaba who would constantly hit on Cana and Mirajane at the guild's bar, he never took part in those same actions. Most of it could have been credited towards how thick-headed he was before he realized his growing affection for Lisanna. Could he be blamed? Igneel never had the time to talk to Natsu about love and his feelings. They just simply never had the time since Igneel spent most of the moments that they shared together either training or teaching Natsu the basics of learning. That was of course up until the point he disappeared without a trace.

"Lighten up, Natsu!" Mirajane groaned, "In fact, while Lisanna is getting ready to come down," Her voice becoming more wholehearted and sincere, "I just wanted you to know that I'm glad that you're the person dating Lisanna and are taking your relationship with her seriously. I've never seen you hit on women unlike like the other men in Fairy Tail. You're always putting Lisanna's and Elman's lives before your own, and that doesn't even include the guild. I've seen firsthand the lengths you go to protect your Nakama as a member of Fairy Tail, that being said, I sometimes wonder how far you would strive to protect the family that is literally sitting right in front of you." Mirajane Finished. At this point, Natsu was at a complete loss of words. He can't recall that anyone other than Igneel praised him in the same manner.

All Natsu could do was offer a modest smile and joke, "You must not have met many decent mages then if you think I deserve your kindness," Which earned an eye roll from Mirajane.

 _"I'm not going to lie; I find it strange how no one else in the Fairy has noticed my absence. I expected Mirajane to question me about it. Instead, she's needlessly praising me on how I treat Lisanna. She should know by now that Fairy Tail mages are ready to go to hell and back in order to support their Nakama. Evidently to me, I'm no different considering I can't even act dependently of the guild when I need to. "_ Before Natsu could continue his thoughts that were slowly drifting towards the self doubt he was facing as of lately, he was interrupted by Mirajane standing up and heading towards the adjacent kitchen.

"Would you like any tea while Lisanna comes down?" She called from her stove while her back faced him.

"Yes please, but only if it wouldn't be any trouble. I came to get Lisanna, not to force you to feed me." Natsu chimed.

"In all my years of knowing you, I don't think I've ever heard you say that you didn't want food up until this point. Are you sure you're feeling all right?" Mirajane said with a comical voice as she tended to the tea pot already on the stove. "Anyways," her voice trailed off, "where have you been lately, Natsu? You've rarely been at the guild over the past few weeks." Mirajane questioned slightly concerned.

 _"Guess I though too soon."_ Natsu panicked within his mind as he remembered his previous thoughts before Mirajane offered him tea. Although he's been pondering over his self-doubt for some time now, he'd never thought about confronting anyone with it. There were so many different reactions that could occur if his guildmates ever found out that he never took the time to analyze and predict each one. So on a dime, Natsu said, "Thanks for your concern, Mira," As he couldn't just sit there and ignore the question. Otherwise she would definitely be onto his case," I've just been taking strolls around my training yard lately. The forest and the waterfalls around my field take me on a nostalgia trip as they remind me of when I trained with Igneel. I'm pretty sure I don't need to say what the training ground is used for. Happy definitely enjoys the wide open spaces to fly." Natsu finished remembering his foster son recently became acquainted with Wendy and her foster daughter Carla.

"You really did think of Igneel as your father," Mirajane sighed with a smile as she returned to the living room with the pot of tea on the stove and cups, "I guess some things never change." She sighed as she poured Natsu a steaming cup of it. "Would you like any milk for your tea?" She finished with her offer.

"I'll be fine, but thanks for your offer," Natsu denied, "And of course I thought of Igneel was my dad. I made a promise to him and I intend to keep it. That's why I built my training field in the first place!" Natsu yelled with his fired up tone while standing up. As soon as he realized what he told Mirajane of the promise that lead to his problem, his hands reflexively clamped over his mouth in response. Natsu realized that if Mirajane were to find out about his predicament, then he was ready to bet that Gramps wasn't too far down the list of people who she would tell next. The last thing he needed was for Gramps to fill him with the same false hope that Igneel gave to him when he was trapped in the void during his fight with Zero.

Luck must have been on Natsu's side today, because as Mirajane's lips began to form her response, both of them heard footsteps of a person coming from the wooden staircase across the room. As the person reached the part of the staircase wall that transitioned into the bottom banister, their head peered around it revealing a girl slightly younger than both Mirajane and Natsu. Although neither of them could tell what she was wearing as they could only see her head, they could tell from her facial features that she had short, white hair which went down to her shoulders and was the same color as Mirajane's. Her eyes further resembled her sisters as they consisted of the same deep blue hue.

"Hey Lisanna, I came to see if you were interested on going to the guild to get food with me." Natsu shyly spoke.

"So you mean a date?" Lisanna simplified his offer while smirking at how shy Natsu could still be around her.

"Yea, I mean if you want to call it that." He began to mumble.

"Natsu, you've known me for 7 years. There's no reason to be shy. Anyways, I'd love to go out with you today." Lisanna replied. As her body emerged from the wall separating them to complete her travel down the rest of the staircase, Natsu spilt his tea at the sight he witnessed.

Lisanna was wearing a pure white dress that had straps that ran over her shoulders and connected to the back part of the fabric which showed her shoulder blades. The dress complemented her hourglass figure which easily rivaled Mirajane's as it hugged her curves firmly while it traveled to her hips, but not nearly to the point where it was sleazy and immoral. The front of the dress showed enough cleavage to reserve modesty while still allowing for Natsu's mind to get creative. The straps that supported the fine silk rested tightly yet comfortably atop her shoulders. Lisanna's dress spread out from her slim waist and draped over her rounded hips which revealed the full length of her thighs beneath the material. The dress was finished by just being long enough to cover her knees. Finally, her attire was complemented by a pair of tan flats which made Lisanna appear noticeably shorter than Natsu. He had to admit that he felt slightly ashamed because he took absolutely no effort into making himself look overly presentable in the same way that Lisanna did. Natsu was wearing his standard black tunic with orange lining that was separated at his front side. Below his tunic he was wearing white baggy leggings that went down to his shin. His attire was finished with a pair of black sandals including his signature scarf around his neck which was given to him by Igneel.

"What's wrong, Natsu? Forget how to speak?" Lisanna broke the silence and devilishly teased as she shifted her weight to her left thigh. She continued to rest her left hand over her adjacent rump while rapping her nails against it. Her pose was completed by placing the index finger of her remaining hand against her bottom lip which would give anyone looking at her the impression that she knew one of Natsu's most dirty secrets. Natsu was completely left reeling at his girlfriend in front of him. Here was the most beautiful girl he had met posing as eye-candy that any man would kill just to see.

Mirajane was similarly left awestruck. Her own sister who was only mere feet away was striking a pose as if it were going to end up in one of Master Makarov's trashy magazines. She had no idea whether or not to feel proud or ashamed. In the end this was Natsu who she dressed up for and Mirajane knew that he wouldn't make the first move even if Lisanna was standing in her full glory. She couldn't help but giggle at that final thought that popped in her mind.

"What's so funny, Mira?" Lisanna questioned thinking that her attire was too over the top.

"Don't worry, I just thought of a funny situation. It's not about you, I promise." Mirajane sincerely stated.

"Jokes aside, thanks for taking me out today, Natsu." Lisanna expressed her gratitude in advance by approaching Natsu and placing a quick peck against his cheek. "Sorry I took so long to get down here. When I heard Mira yell that you were waiting for me, I at least wanted to make myself presentable." She finished with a blush on her face remembering the way her sister called her.

"Aww, don't you two lovebirds look adorable!" Mirajane joshed with a babied tone.

"Miraaaaaaaaa stop embarrassing us." Lisanna whined in an annoyed tone wishing that she was anywhere with Natsu but here in her own apartment.

"You're right. As much fun it is to jeer at you, the sun is about to start setting in a couple of hours, you two better be on your way to the guild. I don't want you back too late, alright Lisanna?" Mirajane didn't know why she included that last part. Her sister was with Natsu, after all, and as long as that was the case, he wouldn't let anything happen to her. Maybe it was because she was constantly the mother figure of her siblings.

"Bye big sis." Lisanna said to her while giving her a quick hug. She then returned to Natsu's side, took his hand in hers, and interlocked their fingers as they approached the apartment's atrium door.

As they exited the apartment and entered the streets, Mirajane chirped, "You horndogs better not have too much fun!" Before immediately locking the front door fearing a rebuttal from Lisanna.

As Natsu and Lisanna walked through the streets of Magnolia towards with the Fairy Tail Guild hall in sights, both of them into account multiple aspects of the town they were living in. The first thing that Lisanna immediately noticed was the reactions she was getting from the other men. The majority of them began to divert their gaze from their activities to Lisanna: either eyeing the areas of bare skin not covered by her dress or just taking into account her facial features. On the other hand, some of the women who were either with their husbands or boyfriends began to either shoot their partners the stink eye or even go as far as scolding them in public for ogling another couple. In an attempt to alleviate the awkward attention being drawn towards them, Lisanna broke the silence between Natsu and her by starting a conversation.

"A lot of people are staring at us, you know." She whispered while keeping her mouth movement to a minimum.

"Who wouldn't want to look at the strongest mage in Fairy Tail?" Natsu joked with confidence in his voice. _"Yea right."_ He disagreed within his thoughts being reminded of his lack of potential.

"That's true," Lisanna chuckled beneath her breath, "but… I'm talking mainly about the other guys around us. I'm not wearing anything too revealing, am I Natsu?" Lisanna questioned as she became more and more concerned about her appearance.

"Lisanna, what are you saying? All those guys are looking at you because of how gorgeous you are. As for the ladies," He took into account their facial expressions while looking around, "They're not giving you their stink-eye," Natsu stated as fact, "They're giving it to their boyfriends and husbands because they won't stop looking at how breathtaking you are!"

"Are you sure?" She stated doubting his response. "Because the last thing I want people thinking is that I'm one of _those_ girls." Lisanna's heart began to sink as she said that. Her head began to droop and her hand that was intertwined with Natsu's became limp and lost its grip. She could slowly feel her eyes begin to water up and go puffy.

"What are you talking about, Lisanna?" He released his hand from hers in the middle of the street and firmly placed them on her shoulders. "Look at me." He stated with authority. As Lisanna slowly lifted her head to match Natsu's gaze, he could see how hurt Lisanna truly was. She had tears running down her cheeks from sobbing and mucus was threatening to drip from her nose. "It doesn't matter what they think, because in the end, I know the real Lisanna. And that Lisanna is the most kind and caring girl I've ever met. You were the one who convinced me to join Fairy Tail in the first place. You showed me what it's like to have a family again. But most importantly, you mean more to me than just Nakama." Natsu finished emphasizing the very last statement.

Lisanna couldn't take it anymore. She completely lost whatever composure she had. The white haired girl burst down in tears and fell into Natsu's chest. The constant rhythm of his heartbeat comforted her as she poured her emotions out for the rest of the street to see. Surprisingly, all the onlookers couldn't help but feel guilty about what just went down and decided to clear the small street to give the couple some time to recuperate. The entire time, Natsu just stood there and ran his fingers through her fine hair in order to ease her heartache. Lisanna cried until she felt that was able to support her own weight again. She eventually stood back up, regained her lost composure, and gave him an uneasy smile through her tears as a gesture that she was going to be all right.

"Lisanna, you really do mean the world to me. I thought you knew that when I told you about what happened after that mission you went on when the guild thought you died." Natsu said as he too began to grow somber.

"Natsu…" Lisanna's voice trailed off again, "You never told me about that before. What happened after that mission when I was in Edolas?" Lisanna asked fearing the worst response.

"Well," Natsu hesitated as he was debating on whether he should tell Lisanna about considering her current condition, "It happened a little over 2 years ago." He stated coming to the decision that Lisanna needed to know how much she meant to him.

* * *

Scene Change – X782 (Two years ago), Fairy Tail Guild hall

Over the past few weeks, there was only one word on Natsu Dragneel's mind: Lisanna. He didn't know what was wrong with him except that something about Lisanna being around him made him fuzzy on the inside. He now found himself about to confront Erza about his current problem that he was facing. Natsu always felt that Erza was the type of person who you could talk to about practically anything. Whatever Igneel failed to accomplish during Natsu's time with him, Erza took the initiative to teach. So it was natural that Natsu looked up to her as a type of mother figure regardless of the amount of times she got on his nerves. Although he couldn't stand that she acted superior to her guildmates because she was an S-Class mage, Natsu knew that Erza was like any other member of Fairy Tail and ready to give advice to her Nakama when needed.

He approached her at the guild hall's bar during her conversation with Laxus about a client's request for an S-Class mission. He didn't want to interrupt the conversation knowing that Erza would probably give him a lecture on etiquette and manners, but he couldn't think of a better time to ask what was wrong with him. Besides, his curiosity was getting the better of him and he wanted answers now.

"So I said to the client that I would be more than willing to examine the situation more thoroughly as-"Erza was cut off before she could finish her context.

"Sorry to bother you, Erza. But could I speak to you in private? If it wasn't an emergency I wouldn't have interrupted you and Laxus," Natsu apologized in advance, "Sorry for interrupting you also, Laxus."

"Don't worry about it, kiddo. Scarlet and I were just about rapping things up anyways." Laxus stated as he crossed his legs and placed them on the counter.

"Where would you like to go?" Erza smiled as she asked Natsu in a nurturing voice.

"We could just slide on down to the other corner of the bar countertop if you're cool with that." Natsu shrugged. He waited for Erza as she gave a quick wave gestured towards Laxus. She stood up from her position before traveling to the opposite corner of the bar countertop. When they got there, Natsu took the very last seat while Erza took the one directly next to his.

"So Natsu, what is it that's been troubling you?" Erza asked with her attention fully on Natsu.

"Will you promise not to laugh?" Natsu asked with slight fear in his voice.

"If I laugh at your situation, "She began as she unsheathed her sword from her scabbard, "I am prepared for you to drive my sword straight through my guild mark. If I betray your trust, I am ready to be betrayed by my own magic, "She finished replied with the most solemn face that he had ever seen.

"Thank you for respecting our conversation, Erza." Natsu stated with a sigh relief. He was more than convinced by this response that Erza could be trusted with his feelings, so he started to tell her about how Lisanna has been on his mind as of lately.

"I think that there's something wrong with my body." Natsu began. Hearing this line alone, the tint on Erza's cheeks rapidly turned into the same shade of her hair as she was expecting to have to educate Natsu on an entirely different subject than the one Natsu knew of.

"MybodyfeelsdifferentwhenI'maroundLisanna." Natsu trailed off the last bit out of shyness. To Erza's relief, she could have sworn she heard Natsu say something about Lisanna. If luck was on her side, maybe she had this conversation all figured out wrong.

"Could you please repeat that, Natsu? I didn't quite hear that last part." She requested for confirmation of what she heard.

"MybodyfeelsdifferentwhenI'maroundLisanna." Natsu repeated it again, this time with a good bit more emphasis.

"Natsu, if you want me to help you with your problem, you're going to have to speak louder and more clearly so I can actually hear y-"

" **MY BODY FEELS DIFFERENT AROUND LISANNA!"** Natsu clamped his hands over his mouth. The yell was so loud to the point where Erza could have been submerged underwater and still have heard what he just told her. Thankfully, the loud guild ruckus and commotion drowned out the sound from everyone but Erza.

"You didn't need to blurt that in front of me to already know what's wrong with you." Erza chuckled softly. "Before you accuse me of breaking my promise, don't worry. I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at the experience I'm sharing with you. Your problem is actually very simple to solve, Natsu." Erza sighed with relief.

"Is it really? Then what's wrong with me? Does this happen to everyone" Natsu began his barrage of question for Erza to answer.

"Slow down Natsu. If I had to take a guess, what you're experiencing now is a feeling called love." Erza said with a smile.

"Like my guildmates?" Natsu responded with an answer.

"Not quite. The kind of love you're experiencing is different from the type you feel for your guildmates because that type of love is unconditional and shared by everyone. Tell me, what makes your body so different around Lisanna?" Erza asked to see if she could actively get Natsu to participate in their conversation without giving him the answers.

"Well… My heart begins to speed up when I'm around her. It feels like all I want to do is protect her and make sure that she's safe and that nothing can hurt her. I first noticed her caring nature when we found Happy's egg in Magnolia Forest because she was the only one who wanted to help me take care of it. She was the person who convinced me to join Fairy Tail and for some reason I get really mad and jealous when other guys are around her. She means more to me than anyone could ever know." Natsu finished meekly.

"That sounds like love to me." Erza chuckled once again with a sheepish grin on her face as she didn't know where to continue from there.

"Does that answer your question about how your body feels around Lisanna, Natsu?" She stated as she decided to conclude their conversation.

"It sure does… But one more thing, what should I do now?" He questioned back.

"I think what you should do is tell Lisanna everything you just told me," Erza smiled, "Not literally, though. Just the parts about how your body feels around her. She'll know what you're talking about." Erza clarified in fear of Natsu narrating their entire conversation in front of his love.

"Tell her every word?"

"Tell her every word." Erza nodded.

"Thanks for your help, Erza." Natsu said as he stood up and embraced her in a quick, yet tight hug to show her his gratitude. "One more thing, how did you know when I first said my body felt differently around Lisanna that it was love that I was probably feeling?"

"Because my body felt the exact same way when I realized I was in love with someone also." Erza finished.

"Erza…" Natsu began but was immediately cut off by her.

"Anyways, just remember, Natsu. I may be your guild mate, but I first and foremost am your Nakama. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me." Erza returned the hug.

With their conversation and embrace coming to an end, Natsu stood up from his stool and yelled, "I'll be seeing you around!" as he ran towards the guild hall entrance with the intentions of telling her how he felt. He immediately continued down the main street of Magnolia town that lead towards Kardia Cathedral. After walking for 15 minutes, he took a right before the drawbridge linking the north and south sides of the town and approached Lisanna's apartment.

Natsu stepped up to their doormat that read "Strauss Siblings" and knocked on their door. " **ThudThudThud."** He heard in response. Around ten seconds had passes until someone answered the door. Instead of Lisanna answering the door as he hoped, Natsu was met with a much larger man with noticeable muscles and white, spiky hair. The only significant piece of attire on him was a white kimono that indicated he was possibly working out.

"Hey Elfman," Natsu greeted, "Would Lisanna happen to be here?"

"Sorry Natsu, you just missed her. She went with Mira to go pick up an S-Class quest and I'm just holding down the fort until they return. We were about to leave when I was done packing our bags for the mission."

"Well, would it be possible for Lisanna to come see me in the Southern gate magnolia park before she leaves? I want to talk to her before she heads off with you." Natsu stated praying that he would be able to speak with Lisanna.

"No problem man. I'll send her right your way and we'll just pick her up on the way to the client."

"Thanks a bunch, Elfman." Natsu said as he walked towards the Southgate Park.

* * *

Scene Change – Magnolia Southgate Park, Same Day

Natsu didn't know how long he'd been sitting under the central tree in the Southgate Park; all that mattered was telling Lisanna how he felt about her _._ His head was resting against his curled up knees as the tree towering over him provided Natsu with shade from the setting sun. _"My heart begins to speed up when I'm around you. It feels like all I want to do is protect you and make sure that you're safe and that nothing can hurt you. I first noticed your caring nature when we found Happy's egg in Magnolia Forest because you were the only one who wanted to help me take care of him. You were the person who convinced me to join Fairy Tail and for some reason I get really mad and jealous when other guys are around you. You mean more to me than anyone could ever know."_ Natsu recited within his mind for the umpteenth time. Although he knew without a doubt what to say to Lisanna at this point, something was preventing him from having the same confidence he always had. "What if Erza was wrong? What is Lisanna laughs at me? What is she doesn't feel the same way?" Natsu questioned to himself out loud. "Erza didn't tell me what to do if she says no."

"Erza didn't tell you to do what if who says no?" A sonorous voice came from above him.

 **"LISANNA!"** Natsu yelped forgetting he was resting his head against his curled up knees. His cheeks immediately turned a light red out of embarrassment. "How long have you been standing there?" He timidly questioned fearing that Lisanna heard him speak out loud.

"I just got here when I heard you talk about someone saying no to something." The white hair girl giggled at his shyness as she stood over him. "Elfman told me that you wanted me to come to the Southgate Park when I was done accepting that S-Class quest with Mira." She told him as she looked around the park. "Where's Happy? I expected him to be with you seeing as though you're in the park." Lisanna questioned curiously.

"Happy wanted to restock his supply of fish today. Plus, I wanted to talk to you… alone." Natsu stated as he prepared himself for what he was about to say.

"Oh? What is it you wanted to talk about? Sorry I'm so late, by the way. The traffic on the main street was surprisingly busy today." Lisanna's said as she quirked her lips.

 _"Well, here goes nothing. Erza seemed pretty confident that she knew her advice will work. So I'll just have to trust her."_ Natsu mentally told himself while beginning to mess with his fingers. "Lisanna," Natsu stated before taking a deep breath. However, he never told her how he felt. Before he was able to, he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"It's time to go, Lisanna! You can talk to Natsu some more another time" The voice called from in front of him. He briskly stood up and poked his head around Lisanna to see who called her. At the edge of the park stood Elfman and Mirajane standing together and waving back at the two of them.

"Hold on Natsu, we better go see what they want." Lisanna interrupted him by grabbing his arm and pulling him towards her siblings.

 _"What better time to be interrupted!"_ Natsu yelled within his mind. He was moments away from telling Lisanna how he felt about her until Elfman and Mirajane decide to drop by for a visit.

As Lisanna approached her siblings, she focused her attention towards Mirajane. "What do you mean it's time to go? I just started talking to Natsu." she asked slightly annoyed.

"What do you mean you just stated talking to Natsu? The park is only a short walk away from our apartment. What were you doing this entire time?" Elfman asked knowing where Natsu wanted to meet Lisanna.

"There was heavy traffic on the way here," Lisanna argued, "I literally got here moments ago." She stated as a matter of fact.

"You can talk to Natsu later, Lisanna. Master Makarov received an urgent update from our client. The beast that destroyed his village is attacking other mages in the nearby towns in order to eliminate its threats." Mirajane interrupted with her hands on her hips.

Lisanna opened her mouth to form a counterargument but stopped before she could speak. _"There's no point in arguing with my sister. Knowing her, she's prepared to drag me across town until I agree to follow her."_ She considered in her mind. "Fine, I'll come with you, but this mission better be fast." She warned. "Natsu, I don't know what to say. I wish I could stay, but you know Mira. She can be just as stubborn as Erza sometimes."

"What was that?!" Mirajane asked as she closed the gap between Lisanna and her. "You will NEVER compare me to that psychotic fruitcake." She glared in front of Lisanna. This instantaneously was rewarded by Natsu rolling on the ground in laughter. The Strauss siblings, including Mirajane, couldn't help but smile and even chuckle at his response.

Natsu eventually got up and regained his composure. Feeling slightly better about the whole situation, Natsu responded, "Don't worry about it, Lisanna. You'll be home in no time. As for what I had to tell you, it can wait until you return after the mission." He finished with his goofy smile.

"You really mean it, Natsu?"

"Why wouldn't I? It's not like I can ever stay mad at you" He slightly blushed.

"Alright you two, you've said your goodbyes. C'mon Lisanna, we have a train to catch." Mirajane stated as she and Elfman began to turn their backs and walk in the direction they came. Lisanna followed not too far behind them. Around 20 seconds into their walk, she turned around towards Natsu and lifted her arm into the air while sticking out her thumb and index finger.

Natsu didn't have any other way to react at this point besides mirroring the same hand gesture and sending a confident smile that had "Good luck" written all over it. Lisanna retuned the smile once again before turning her back toward Natsu for the last time.

He didn't realize that he wouldn't see that smile again for two years.

* * *

Scene Change – Fairy Tail Guild hall, later that night

The guild hall had its normal atmosphere as it did any other day. Macao and Wakaba were sitting at the bar barely sober enough to lean on Cana, who was besides them, for support. They were the ones responsible for fueling another one of Fairy Tail's notorious parties. Happy was sitting at one of the tables on the right wing of the guild. The whole time he was marveling at the fish he had caught earlier today. Erza separated herself from the rest of the guild ruckus in order to peacefully indulge in sweets she ordered from the bar. All the other S-Class mages, however, were out on missions and couldn't join the party. The only other person who wasn't present at the party was Natsu because he decided to go home before the party started. He still felt disappointed that he never got the chance to tell Lisanna how he felt about her. Gray, his _**Ice-Make**_ rival, was sitting at the same table as Happy and was bored to say the least because Natsu wasn't there to entertain him. The last notable person present at the time was Master Makarov himself. He was currently sitting on the middle of the bar countertop as a precaution in case if a guild brawl ensued.

Everything up until this point represented the norm of a day inside the Fairy Tail Guild hall. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the guild hall was silenced as the front doors of the guild were burst open revealing two silhouettes standing at the entrance. The figures standing in front of them had tear stains running down their cheeks and had mucus crusted to their bodies. Their clothes were completely torn to shreds revealing parts of their undergarments which indicated that they were critically injured. The duo was barely able to limp into the guild as the larger figure had to support the smaller one with broken limbs. However, the most frightening fact about them was that the figures standing in front of them were Elfman and Mirajane.

The guild took no time to react and immediately stopped whatever activity they were doing in order to help their injured guildmates standing at the entrance. Macao and Wakaba separated the injured duo and supported Mirajane on their shoulders. Gray went to the side that Mirajane was originally on and supported Elfman by his arm. Master Makarov got up from his seat and barked, **"Take them to the infirmary at once!"** Without hesitation, Macao, Wakaba, and Gray supported the injured siblings as they made their way to the staircase leading to the infirmary in the basement.

The entire guild began to flood the infirmary as the injured Strauss siblings were laid on the infirmary beds. "Thank you for your help, all of you. However, you're going to need to give Porlyusica and me some time to patch them up." Makarov stated with slight relief. Luckily, Porlyusica was at the guild because she was taking inventory check on what first aid supplies the guild needed, so there was no need for someone to run outside the Magnolia Town charter to get her. If she had to travel to the infirmary, their conditions would have easily worsened without a doubt.

Although reluctant, the rest of the guild eventually left the infirmary room after much convincing and went back upstairs to converse about what just happened.

"What type of monster was strong enough to take down Mirajane?" One of the guild members questioned in fear as they retook their seat.

"Don't forget that Elfman was there to and they still couldn't complete the quest!" Another member chimed adding to the fear of whoever asked the first question.

"Who cares that they failed the quest? We should just be grateful that they're alive!" Happy chimed in with his uplifting attitude. The guild members couldn't deny that the small cat's logic alleviated most of the fear from the guild's atmosphere. All that mattered was that their Nakama was going to be alright. As different conversations began to sprout from this question, the guild slowly began to ease back into their original activities before Elfman and Mirajane burst into the guild.

As seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into two hours, Erza remembered something she might have overheard earlier in the day that startled her. "Hey did any of you see Lisanna go into the infirmary with Master? If I overheard correctly, I thought Mira told Master Makarov earlier today that she planned on taking Lisanna with her on the quest." She spoke slightly anxious. "I'm just concerned that she might have got lost trying to get back here or she had to run to the nearby villages in order to get help and was left there…"

"Relax, Erza. You probably misheard them. Lisanna should be back at her apartment sleeping. Worst case scenario you, me, and Pyromaniac go search for her in the nearby villages. "Gray finished from a nearby table.

"Hmm…" Erza thought as her doubts still were not completely satisfied. "I think it's best if I ask Master Makarov of Lisanna's whereabouts. No offence, Gray," Erza apologized, "You're welcome to punish me if I offended you." Erza stated with remorse.

"I don't think that will be necessary." Gray deadpanned. "You're probably right, though. Just make sure Lisanna's safe, alright?"

"Absolutely, I'll be back in a few minutes." Erza nodded as she headed to the staircase leading to the guild's infirmary. However, before she could enter the stairwell, she was interrupted by Master Makarov making his way up towards her. "Master Makarov, I was just looking for you. Gray and I were wondering if Lisan-"Before she could continue speaking, she was startled by Master Makarov's appearance. His face was darkened and he was staring directly down as he made his way up the stairs. Erza swore that she saw tears coming from his eyes. However, because of his darkened face, she had no way of proving that.

"Come with me." Makarov stated through a harsh voice crack which alarmed Erza. She stepped out of Master Makarov's way to allow the old guild master to exit the stairwell. As he made his way to the center of the guild, many of the Fairy Tail members immediately began shushing each other anticipating Master Makarov to reveal the condition that Elfman and Mirajane were in. When he eventually arrived at the guild's center and lifted his face up, the members automatically began to fear the worst for the duo still in the infirmary. The old guild master's eyes were glossed over as tears began to run down his cheeks. "Elfman and Mirajane are fine." Makarov stated. At this point, many of the members came to the conclusion that Master Makarov was shedding tears of joy. However, Erza wasn't that short minded. She knew something was wrong and she wasn't about to get her hopes up. "Howe- However," Makarov's sobbing began to intensify. At this point, Erza's heart sank as she began to fear the worst. She was just praying that Lisanna had nothing to do with it, "It is my sad duty to inform you as Fairy Tail's Guild Master that their youngest sister, Lisanna, passed away on the mission that they were on. According to Mirajane, Elfman attempted to do a full body takeover on a beast that was ravaging the nearby villages. However, he was unable to control the takeover and ended up killing Lisanna in the process when she tried to stop him." The old guild master finished as he completely broke down into tears.

The guild had mixed reaction upon hearing this dreadful news. Happy dropped the fish he was inspecting and began to house tears in his eyes at the loss of the person who helped Natsu raise him. Gray immediately stood up and looked as if he was ready to deny her death, only to realize that Master Makarov's facial features said otherwise. Macao, Wakaba, and Cana were immediately brought back to earth from their realm of drinking upon realization of what the old guild master stated. The rest of the guild members couldn't help the situation and wept in remorse at the events that just unfolded. In less than a minute, the atmosphere in Fairy Tail changed to the saddest day it can remember.

For some reason, Erza's initial thoughts weren't focused on Lisanna. They were focused on Natsu. He wasn't there at the moment and considering she was the only one who knew how he felt about Lisanna, she had no Idea how the guild was going to approach telling him. She felt that she would be the one to take the initiative and tell Natsu about what happened here because she was the only one who knew how he felt around Lisanna."Mama- Master Makarov?" She stuttered through her uneven speech. "If you don't mind, I'll be the one to tell Natsu about what happened to Lisanna." Upon saying that, the rest of the guild members snapped their gazes towards the scarlet haired mage as they realized that the young dragon slayer was not present at the guild. He decided to go back to his house after Lisanna left with her siblings for the quest.

"Are you sure Erza? You don't know how the lad will rea-"Before the guild master could finish, he was interrupted by the doors of the guild reopening.

"Hey guys!" A young boy with pink hair exclaimed as he waltzed in. "I forgot to pick up the quest that Gramps signed off on yesterday and thought I wou- Whoa! Why is everyone crying?" Natsu asked as he was thoroughly concerned as to why his Nakama were weeping.

"Natsu…" Erza began.

"Hey Erza, why are you also crying? Did something happen while I was gone?" He began to panic.

"Natsu," Erza began," do you remember when Elfman and Mira took Lisanna on that S-Class quest?"

"Oh yeah, are they back already? Mira had to leave in a hurry because their client sent an urgent update out to Gramps saying that their target was attacking nearby mages."

"Elfman and Mira are back. However, during their mission, Elfman tried performing a full body takeover on the target which the villages nicknamed The Beast. He wasn't able to control himself and ended up critically injuring Mira in the process. Right now they're in the infirmary resting." Erza grew more dreary as she approached the climax of what she was about to say.

"As long as they're safe, what's to be sad about?" Natsu short mindedly uttered.

"Lisanna... Lisanna tried to stop Elfman when he lost control of his takeover. She stepped in front of Mira and tried to communicate with Elfman thinking that he was still able to understand her. Elfman… He… **ELFMAN COULDN'T CONTROL THE TAKEOVER AND LISANNA WAS KILLED!"** Erza couldn't help but yell to push through the emotional pain she was feeling.

Natsu didn't know how to react. At first, he thought he was caught up within a sick prank and that Lisanna was hiding behind the bar countertop or something. However, as his eyes surveyed the guild hall and took into account the tears in his guildmate's eyes, he realized that this was not a joke. Natsu just stood at the guilds entrance. He wanted to react further, but the pain and disbelief was too unbearable for him to show his emotions. Was this how cruel life could be? The time had come where he finally figured out why he acted so different around Lisanna and was about to confess to her and she met her faith before he was able to tell her. As more and more of the situation began to seep its way into Natsu's mind, he realized he needed to leave before he did something irrational. He was feeling anger, anguish, and regret for what he could have done differently. Without waiting for someone to stop him, he sprinted towards the guild's entrance and left the hall.

"Someone should go after him and see what he's about to do." Gay stated a darkened face, "I don't think I would be the most appropriate person to chase him down for obvious reasons." He finished referring to Natsu's rivalry with him.

"I'll go after him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid" Erza said as she bolted out the guild doors after him.

Natsu ran. He needed time to himself. The sun had set for quite some time now and he was currently running through his training field towards the waterfall at the edge of his property. As he made his way across his training field, he reentered the forest at the opposite end of where his house lied.

After treading through the seemingly endless forest that outlined his training field, Natsu eventually arrived at a little hut in the middle of a small clearing with the waterfall's mist trickling on his lowered head. The small abode in front of him was the one that Happy's egg used to live in. It was the only thing he had to remember Lisanna by considering she helped Natsu build it. At this point, he didn't even have the strength to stand or lift his head up as the situation dawned upon him. Lisanna, the girl he loved, was dead and there was nothing he could do about it. Natsu fell down on all fours and completely broke down in an influx of tears. He could barely muster room to breathe as he was gasping for air so heavily. "Why," Natsu began to question, "Wh- why couldn't I have been given two more minutes before you le- left. I just needed a bit more time to tell you how much you meant to me." Natsu mustered through his stuttered speech. "I've never felt so helpless before. I should've asked Elfman and Mira if they needed help on their mission. "Natsu regretted through his teeth as he felt self-doubt course through his body. _"I didn't have the strength or potential to protect her myself…"_ Natsu thought his last statement in his mind. He didn't realize it then, but that statement was the catalyst to the self-doubt he would face in years to come.

Although he was still on all fours, he was able to notice someone approach him from behind due to his dragon senses. As the person got closer to him, Natsu turned around and stood up from his position to be met with the gaze of Erza.

"I followed you here to make sure that you didn't do anything stupid." She somehow managed through a fragile smile. "I'm glad that you were able to control yourself."

"Erza, just- just leave me alone right now." Natsu said as he turned his back towards her and gritted his teeth.

"I just wanted you to know that if you ever need anyone to talk to in lieu of Master Makarov; you can always come to me because I know how you felt about her." She finished referring to Lisanna with sadness in her voice. "Also, I know this may come across as cruel, but at least you got to confess to her how you felt before she died." Erza added attempting to lift Natsu's spirit.

"Erza… Lisanna never… I mean… I never got the chance to tell her how I felt…" Natsu trailed off as he felt another emotional wave lapse over him.

"What?" Erza gasped. "I thought you planned on telling her right after you left the gu-"

"I did, but when I got to her apartment Elfman said that she went with Mira to approve of the S-Class quest. I told Elfman to tell Lisanna to meet me at Magnolia Southgate Park when she was done approving the quest. By the time she got to park, she spent so much time weaving through the streets and navigating traffic that she had to go before I got the chance to tell her." Natsu succumbed to tears once again feeling helpless about the situation.

"Natsu…" Erza gasped as she came to a realization. "Do you remember when you asked me how I knew you were in love with Lisanna and I said that I too felt the same way when I realized I was in love with someone?"

"Erza, I already told you that I want to be left alone. I don't want to sound snappy, but how would you know what I'm feeling right now?" Natsu spat slightly angered.

"I know this might sound like too much of a coincidence to be true, but the boy I used to love long ago also died before I could tell him how I felt." Erza sobbed as she reminisced her past.

"You can't be serious, Erza." Natsu shot averted his gaze back to her with complete disbelief.

"I am." Erza smiled with insecurity at the coincidence before them. "His name was Jellal Fernandes. However, that's a story for another time. What I'm trying to say is that you can't live in the past forever, Natsu. Whatever you are feeling right now can't dictate who you are. I moved on from the day when I lost Jellal. Why don't you think I retaliated when you yelled at me about not understanding how you felt just a moment ago? I used to constantly think about what I could have done differently that would have let him know how I felt. However, I now realize that everything in this life is for a reason and that the world will keep revolving no matter what." Erza finished with a teary smile. She now began to hiccup remembering her past.

As much as Natsu didn't want to admit it, Erza was right. Mulling over Lisanna's death wasn't going to bring her back no matter how much he thought about what he could have done different to prevent the situation. However, that didn't change the fact that deep within his mind he now felt a hint of self-doubt for his potential as a mage. Eventually he was able to wipe his running nose clear of mucus and clear out his puffy eyes.

"You're right, Erza. Lisanna isn't coming back, and I'm going to miss her more than you could ever know. However, that doesn't mean that I can't get stronger for her sake." Natsu began to lighten up. Erza took this as an opportunity to approach him and place her hand on his shoulder for comfort.

"Whatever the case may be, Natsu, you'll still have your Nakama at your side for every step of the way…"

"Thank you Erza… Not just for helping me with Lisanna, but for everything that you and our guild stand for. I'm proud to call you my family." Natsu finished with his toothy grin.

"You know what, Natsu? This scenery is quite nice, in all honesty. I can understand why you built your house up here." Erza digressed from the situation at hand.

"You have no idea." Natsu responded back.

* * *

Scene Change – Present Day Time

Natsu had no idea how long he had been telling Lisanna about what happened after her death. Both of them were still standing in the street from when Lisanna broke down in tears which meant neither of them got to the point where they needed to sit down. The sun was a little past high noon which confirmed that the duo wasn't standing in their positions for long during the time Natsu recalled what happened after Lisanna passed away.

"Oh my god, Na- Natsu…" Lisanna stuttered ash her eyes widened. "I had no idea that you felt the same way about me two years ago. I don't even know what to say. Apologizing wouldn't even begin to heal pain you must have felt after my death. I should've just asked Mira if I could stay behind. It would have saved so much heartache for our guild." She sobbed into his shirt.

"It's alright, Lisanna. None of what happened was your fault. Don't you remember what Erza told me? She said that everything in this life is for a reason. I eventually learned to get over blaming myself for your death because of what she said. It took some time, but I was eventually able to go back to my normal life. You never left my mind, but my new resolution in life was to live in memory of your death." Although that was partially true, Natsu was still struggling with the same self-doubt he did when Lisanna died. The resolution he had when Lisanna died was now gone and new problems began to plague his mind. The promise he made to Igneel seven years ago remained incomplete. He still felt too dependent on his Nakama. Worst of all, he still doubted his power as a mage. Lisanna eventually was able to regain enough composure and self-control to separate herself from Natsu which broke him from his negative thoughts. "If you're not feeling up to it right now, we could always just go back home and continue our date anot-"

"Don't worry about me," Lisanna sniffed, "I was just feeling self-conscious about my appearance because so many people were staring at us. I didn't want you to beat yourself up about it."

"I should be saying the same about you!" Natsu laughed as he referred to Lisanna's last statement. "If what I told you ever gets on your mind, just remember that I told you about what happened after your death because I wanted to show you how much you meant to me. I never wanted to make you feel guilty." Natsu sincerely stated. Hearing this, Lisanna was able to regain enough self-control to once again separate herself from Natsu. She mustered him a warm and cute smile in response to what he told her.

"Now let's head to the guild." Natsu beamed while he retook Lisanna's hand in his. As Natsu and Lisanna once again ensued their journey towards the Fairy Tail Guild hall all that mattered between them was that they understood each other at last.

* * *

Thank you for your time!


	3. Chapter 3 - The Split Second Decision

**Author's Note (Second one at the end):** It feels like forever since I updated! I hope I didn't keep y'all waiting. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, the moment we've all been waiting for. **The Split Second Decision**! I hope you enjoy it and look forward to the upcoming chapters that this one right here will setup. Until then, I'll be seeing you around!

* * *

A Dragon From Immolation

 **Chapter Three: The Split Second Decision**

"Here we are…" Natsu stated as he gazed at the guild hall entrance. As he glanced back at Lisanna, he could see slight worry plastered across her face. "Just remember what I told you earlier. Don't pay attention to what others think of you. Plus, this is our Nakama! You have nothing to worry about. Hell, if Lucy can parade around in those things she call's clothes; I'm sure you'll be just fine." This caused Lisanna to burst into laughter.

"You're right Natsu. I was just worried about how Elfman would react considering he's always been so protective ever since he thought I died…" Her voice trailed off.

"Alright, we're here to have a good time, not put ourselves in a bad mood again." Natsu admonished. "I'm ready to go in if you are." He asked for consent before proceeding.

"It's not like we can just stay out here." Lisanna shrugged.

Suddenly, for absolutely no reason, Natsu burst opened the guild's front doors with the full force his foot.

 _ **"WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?! THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I'M GOING IN THERE AFTER THE ENTRANCE THAT NATSU DECIDED TO MAKE! HE PRACTICALLY PUT US ON THE SPOT!"**_ Lisanna mentally screamed as she hid herself behind the outer wall of the guild.

The rest of the guild immediately stopped what they were doing to see who burst into their guild. Some were even ready to retaliate at the figure standing before them in case the person was ready to harm their guildmates. Before the situation could escalate, the figure then had the nerve to say the most anticlimactic line he could from the blinding light of the guild hall entrance. "Ladies first!" Natsu shouted at Lisanna who hid herself out of sheer embarrassment.

Upon hearing the voice, Macao yelled from inside the guild, "It's just Natsu. No one else in their right mind would make an entrance like that." He sweat dropped.

"Why don't you say that to my fist?" Natsu stated as he was about to charge towards Macao. Before he could, however, he was able to control his urge and say, "Never mind old man, I'll have to toast you later. I'm not here to take on the guild," as he remembered his intentions for coming to the guild with Lisanna. "I'm here to get food with Lisanna!" This left the entire guild hall in a state of shock. Since when was Natsu the type to oppose starting guild brawls?

Macao was the first one to break the silence that ensued. "Whatever you did to control our Pyromaniac, you're doing a great job, Lisanna… Wherever you are." Macao called as he scanned the guild for the white haired girl with confusion.

"She probably bailed on flame brain," Gray jeered, "He wouldn't know what love is even if it was something he could eat." He finished by sipping his ale.

Lisanna winced at Gray's comment and began to feel for Natsu. Although she knew that Gray was Natsu's rival and was only kidding, she couldn't help but sense a bit of hostility and malice coming from his voice as he spat towards her boyfriend. _"My Natsu spent two long years after my death accepting that he would never be able to confess his love to me. He worked so hard with Erza trying to figure out what love was and now Gray is insulting him like it's nothing! Natsu is even accepting all the criticism instead of starting a fight with Gray just because he doesn't want to ruin his date with me."_ Lisanna couldn't help but smile at the effort that Natsu was putting into their relationship. She stepped away from the outer wall of the guild and decided to defend her boyfriend for him. "I know it sounds impossible for someone as dense as Natsu could ever know what love is, but he's not the one without a girlfriend." Lisanna called out as she stepped into the guild's light and stood on her tiptoes to give Natsu a peck on his cheek.

The silence that was caused by Natsu barging into the guild was immediately broken when the guild saw what Lisanna was wearing. To say that what Lisanna was wearing complemented her perfect was an understatement. Her attire wasn't too revealing, skimpy, or whorish by any means. Instead, it could only be described as something that would knock the socks off any guy who glanced at it. The random female girl members even began to shed tears of jealousy at how well it complemented Lisanna's blessed figure. The men of the guild let off catcalls, hoots, and sharp whistles as a state of approval. In response to Lisanna, Gray completely dropped the mug of ale he was indulging in at how wronged he was at the moment. He lost whatever confidence he had a minute ago and sulked into his chair. _"How the hell does Pyro have a girlfriend and I don't?"_ Gray questioned in his mind as he tried to analyze what went wrong with his love life.

"It's great to see you to, Lisanna. You didn't need to remind me about my love life." He muttered towards the duo.

"You sure don't mind all the attention considering what happened on the way to the guild." Natsu leaned into Lisanna's ear.

"It's like you said, this is our Nakama. It's not like you can avoid them." The white haired girl whispered back. "That being said, I never said I preferred it. It still embarrasses me knowing that we have the attention of the entire guild right now." She began to blush. Lisanna remembered why she always had a sense of shyness around others. It was mainly due to her being forced to avoid society before joining Fairy Tail as her sister at that time had no control over her demon form. She was snapped from her thoughts as she felt a warm sensation enclose around her hand.

"I'm hungry. Let's go get food." Natsu wined as he held his girlfriend's hand.

"Are you ever not hungry?" Lisanna gave him a teasing smile in response as they began to walk toward the bar with him. Throughout the guild, different conversations began to emerge as the guild's atmosphere returned to its normal state.

"The young boy's doing great for his age." Wakaba struck a conversation with Macao.

"Yea, it makes me remember when we would constantly hit on other women in our guild." Macao responded.

"It's not like anything's changed. I still have to get Mira to get on a date with me!" Wakaba finished while clinking his beer with Macao.

The rest of Team Natsu, save Gray, occupied a table off to the side of the guild. "Lisanna's really beautiful…" Wendy added towards her team.

"Of Course she's beautiful! She's my mother!" Happy agreed.

"Don't forget about yourself!" Carla lectured towards Wendy. "You can be just as beautiful if you make an effort." The young exceed scolded.

"But I never said I wasn't beautif-"

"No buts Wendy. You need to have more self-confidence in yourself!" The annoyed exceed sighed.

 _"Do I ever get to win against Carla?"_ The blue haired girl groaned inside her mind.

"They really do look perfect together," Lucy smiled and added to the conversation, "They remind me of the books I read where the lovers will do anything to protect each other even in the face of death." She finished with a slight twinkle in her eye.

On the other side of the table, Erza felt delight and relief as she remembered how long ago Natsu told her about his situation with Lisanna. _"Regardless of how long you two have been together, I've always been glad that you were able to tell her how you felt, Natsu."_ The red haired smiled to herself within her thoughts. She always knew that Lisanna felt the same way about Natsu. It was just never easy for Lisanna to admit her feelings to him in fear of rejection. This was mainly in part due to Lisanna having a lack of trust for other people as her childhood was filled with isolation before she joined Fairy Tail. She was happy that the two of them finally understood each other.

As Natsu and Lisanna approached the bar, they overheard a purple haired girl say from behind the countertop, "I wish I looked as pretty as her." A young Kinana sighed with her back was facing the rest of the guild. She had no idea Lisanna and Natsu overheard her as they approached the bar countertop.

"Don't worry about your looks now, Kinana. You're still young! When you get older, you'll grow into a beautiful woman."

"NATSU," Kinana yelped, "I had no idea you were standing there."

"In fact, in a couple of years, you'll look even better than Lisanna!" Natsu chirped as he teased Lisanna standing next to him.

"WHAT THE HELL NATSU!" Lisanna playfully jabbed him on his shoulder as she released his hand out of annoyance.

 **"HeeHeeHee,"** Kinana giggled from behind the counter at the couple's actions. "What can I get you two lovebirds?" She digressed from the situation at hand.

Seeing that Kinana's mood was lifted, Natsu and Lisanna decided to take the moment to order their food before her feelings had a chance to go southward again.

"I'll just have a steak: blue rare. As for Lisanna," He turned his attention towards her, "Order whatever is on the menu to your heart's content." Natsu beamed.

"Since when were you the courteous type?" Lisanna snickered. "Don't you think that blue rare is a bit extreme? You're not going to get food poisoning are you? And I'll just have a plate of spaghetti with Béchamel Sauce." She redirected her attention towards Kinana.

"It's just my dragon instinct." Natsu shrugged. "I'll be fine!" Kinana took that as he cue to prepare their food.

"Is that it?" Kinana asked.

"That'll be all. Thank you Kinana!" The duo said in unison.

Once Kinana left the couple, Natsu pulled out a barstool for Lisanna to sit on while they waited for their food.

"Shoot, we should have ordered wine for the two of us."

"It's not like we could have ordered any considering Kinana's too young to serve it. Anyways, we rarely ever drink in the first place. Plus, I'm in charge of taking you home. I can't really do that while I'm zonked." Natsu added.

"True," Lisanna agreed, "We don't need Mira flipping out when she sees us wasted. Thanks for looking out for me, Natsu." She finished by smiling.

"Anything for the queen of my heart." Natsu gave her a confident look.

"So, what have you been up to lately?" Lisanna started their conversation. "It's been a while since I've seen you! Is that why you asked me out today?"

 _"Here we go again"_ Natsu sighed out of annoyance in his mind. "You know where I live; the scenery is always beautiful this time of year. I've been taking walks more regularly around my property which gives Happy more personal freedom. I still try to keep an eye on him when necessary because he's the closest thing to a son I have. My training field is right in the middle of all the scenery which works to my convenience. It reminds me of the time where I first met Igneel..."

Natsu wanted to go on to tell Lisanna about the predicament he was facing concerning his strength. However, there were so many outcomes which could happen from telling her. What if she thought he was being ridiculous? What if she told the entire guild? What if she just gave him false hope? Those were questions running through Natsu's mind. _"I think the best way to approach this is to tell her something related to what I'm facing, but can't be pinpointed by the context I give her_. _Then I can proceed from there depending on how she reacts… Well, here goes nothing_ …" Natsu began, "Lisanna, do you ever get the feeling that you're trapped? Have you ever woken up one day and try to chase after what you want to believe in but your legs, they just give… and you just can't run anymore? Do you ever feel like you want to do SOMETHING, but you just can't?" Natsu finished wholeheartedly. He didn't mention anything concerning the adversity he was facing, his magic potential, or not being strong enough to protect what he holds most true to him. He simply asked an open ended question, although a deep one, to see is Lisanna could relate to him.

"Natsu…" Lisanna began, "I felt trapped every day of my life before I even came to Fairy Tail. I absolutely understand what you're feeling. Before I joined the guild, I wanted to help Mira control her Demon form. I wanted to be able to communicate with society even though it kept on rejecting my siblings and me. Then, I met Fairy Tail, My Nakama! And they showed us what it's like to have a family that is always looking out for you. I was able to overcome what I was facing with their help." She gave him a warm smile.

"Thanks for your help, Lisanna." Natsu sighed with slight disappointment. Lisanna understood him on the surface level. Maybe he could trust her in that aspect. However, there was still one glaring fact about what she said. _"That's what's different about us, Lisanna. You've overcome your past with the help of your guildmates. That just isn't enough for me… I made a promise to Igneel and I haven't kept it."_ Lisanna only partially understood Natsu from the question he asked her. If he risked pushing the subject further, would she still laugh at him? Could what she faced be considered and related to the same thing that he was facing right now? Was that enough to continue telling her what he was facing?

However, before they could continue, Kinana arrived with their food and Natsu realized how hungry he was before he got a chance to deliberate. _"Oh well, I can just tell Lisanna later if nothing else."_

"Here you guys go! A blue rare steak for Natsu…" Kinana handed her food towards Natsu, "And Spaghetti with Béchamel sauce for Lisanna!"

"Thank you Kinana!" Lisanna had the courtesy to say before eating.

 **"ThamkmyouKimama"** Lisanna heard coming from besides her. She turned her head to see Natsu already half way done with his steak.

"NATSU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Lisanna yelped out of astonishment. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO WAIT FOR ME TO GET MY FOOD BEFORE YOU START EATING!"

"Whelp, too late now!" He said after he swallowed the remainder of his food.

"I thought that Erza taught you about table manners because clearly Igneel didn't!"

"Why do I need Erza to teach me how I should eat my food?" He asked with a smug look on his face.

Kinana simply laughed at the situation. "Just call if you need me!" She bowed before walking away.

"All right, you got me," Lisanna huffed, "But could you at least wait for me to finish my food before we do anything else?"

"I honestly didn't have anything else planned for this evening. I just wanted to get food with you and take my mind off that question I asked you before Kinana brought our food. Take all the time you need."

"Aww, well I'm glad that I was able to help. Just remember, your Nakama are here if you need us." Lisanna gave Natsu a cute smile before refocusing her attention to her Spaghetti.

 _"Yea… My Nakama are here if I need them..."_ Natsu groaned in his mind.

Natsu was polite enough to allow Lisanna to finish her food while he waited. He didn't distract her, leave the counter for any reason, or caused any trouble which allowed her to enjoy her food with some peace. However, that didn't stop him from taking the occasional glace to admire Lisanna's beauty. Natsu loved every part about her appearance: her sea blue eyes, her pure white locks that cascaded from her head and caressed her facial features, and that smile that she always seemed to have on her face. Natsu couldn't think of a more perfect girl at the time.

Ten minutes had gone by until Lisanna felt as though she had eaten enough of her food to keep her satisfied. She proceeded to scan around their table with caution to make sure no one was listening to their conversations before proceeding with her next statement.

"Natsu? Can I also get serious for a moment?" She fidgeted slightly. She had no idea how to proceed from here considering how dense and clueless Natsu could still be concerning love at times.

"How serious?" The pink haired slayer asked concerned.

"Well… We've been dating for quite some time now and I wanted to know what you thought about taking our relationship-" Before she could finish, however, Natsu was immediately interrupted with a peculiar sound that was picked up by his slayer senses.

 **"Shuduh… Shuduh… Shuduh."** Natsu heard coming from afar.

"What the hell was that?" He whispered to himself. Natsu could have sworn that he heard an unsettling sound just now. However, because of his enhanced hearing, he eventually dismissed it and concluded that his slayer senses were just acting up.

"What did you say? Something interrupted you before I could finish what I wanted to tell you." Lisanna questioned as she looked around the room to identify what startled Natsu.

"Sorry Lisanna. I thought I heard some-"

 **"Shuduh… Shuduh… Shuduh."** Natsu was interrupted again.

 _"Alright, I'm definitely not imagining whatever is making that noise. It seems to be growing louder the more I listen. If I had to put a place on it… then whatever is making that noise sounds as if it is coming from the Akina Hills towards the northeast. I'm definitely not dreaming now, so whatever is making that sound must be loud if I can hear it from all the way over here from the mountain ranges. Fairy Tail's guild hall is in the southern part of Fiore closest to Hargeon's port after all but for some reason, whoever… Or whatever is making that noise sounds familiar…"_

 **"** Natsuuuuu? You were interrupted by something before you could let me finish. Is everything alright?" She asked slightly concerned now. _"Did I try making a move to fast? Maybe he's not ready to take our relationship further and already knew what I was going to ask him. I mean, this is Natsu who I'm speaking to. Is he just trying to avoid the subject and he's really not interested in me?"_ Lisanna asked to herself as she feared the worst. "Natsu, if something is bothering you, you can always tell me. Remember what we talked about before our food came? You know that I'm always someone you can trust." Her voice began to quiver slightly.

"NoNoNo… It's not that…" Natsu trailed off. _"Is… Is Lisanna's voice quivering?"_ He thought to himself before his thoughts were interrupted again. However, instead of the thrashing he originally heard, his thoughts were interrupted by smoothing much more alarming.

 **"Ach! There's no way in hell I can beat this monster by myself."** Natsu heard a sharp groan followed by muttering which interrupted him.

 _"There's no way_! _Was that… Gildarts?" What did he say about beating some monster?"_ Natsu was left completely dazed as he realized why the noise sounded so familiar. Natsu then became aware at the situation at hand. _"If luck is on my side, the original noise that I heard from the Akina Hills was some sort of thrashing. The second noise that I heard was Gildarts muttering to him about losing some fight he was in. If Gildarts needs help, this is my chance to prove my worth to everyone! Whatever he's fighting, I need to hurry before the situation escalates. If Gildarts of all mages is having trouble winning a battle than this is the opportunity I've been waiting for to gage my potential! This is all speculation… but unless I act on this, there might not be another chance for me to-. "_

"Hello? Earthland to Natsu!" Lisanna waved trying to snap him out of his state of awe.

"Hold up, Lisanna! I heard you the first time! You were talking about how we've been dating for some time and that you wanted to know what I thought about taking our relationship-" Natsu's voice slowly trailed off as he realized what Lisanna didn't get to finish. It was then Natsu put two and two together and realized why Lisanna's voice was quivering before he recognized Gildart's voice. If Natsu assumed correctly, then Lisanna wanted to talk about the future of their relationship considering they've been dating for months already. _"Right now, Lisanna has no idea that Gildarts is in trouble. She might be thinking at the moment that I'm just trying to ignore her and hope the subject changes. If I tell her about what I heard then she'll probably tell gramps to send help. If that happens then I won't be able to use this as an opportunity to finally prove my worth! But if I just leave without saying anything, Lisanna might get the impressions that I'm not interested in our relationship and that I'm just trying to avoid her. And isn't Gildarts supposed to be on that Century Quest of his? Wouldn't I get in trouble if I interrupted him? Anyways, it's not like I have time to explain the situation that I've been in to Lisanna because whatever Gildarts is fighting might be gone by the time I finish. If Gildarts of all people is having trouble in a fight, then he might not even be alive by the time I get there…"_

Natsu was torn to say the least. Here was the love of his life who he wanted to take their relationship to the next level with. On the other hand, he now had the opportunity he was waiting for to prove his worth! Whatever Gildart's was fighting, he had no chance of winning against which meant that it was Natsu's time to take the situation into his own hands and prove his worth: but what about Lisanna? Natsu remembered his past mistake when he never told Lisanna how he felt about her before she went on her S-Class mission leading to her death. He regretted not doing that ever since. Furthermore, what if he had the situation figured out wrong and Gildarts didn't need help? Wasn't he supposed to be on a Century Quest? This was all mere speculation after all. However, he might never get a chance again to prove his worth with a situation like this. Plus, Gildarts sounded as if he was getting his ass handed to him regardless of speculation or not. Natsu first and foremost needed to protect him. Fairy Tail mages don't abandon each other in need.

" _I'm sorry Lisanna, but our relationship will have to wait."_ Natsu grimaced within his mind as he came to his conclusion. Without wasting another second, he barked, "Happy! Let's go!" As he bolted out of the guild hall before anyone could question him.

* * *

Natsu burst out of the guild hall and immediately began to sprint towards the northeast of Fiore while dodging incoming citizens. Happy was not too far behind and caught up to him soon after he spotted him shoving his way through Magnolia's streets.

"Natsu, what's wrong? You scared me with how loud you exited the guild!" Happy stated with concern as he landed on Natsu's head.

"Buddy, I need you to do me a huge favor!" Natsu panted as he completely ignored Happy's concerns.

"Of course!"

"I need you to fly me to the Akina Hills in the northeast side of Fiore."

"But Natsu… That's farther than I've ever flown before. You can't be serious." The Blue exceed replied.

"I know this is asking a lot from you. Please, just try your best. I'll explain why I need you to on the way there." Natsu didn't bother asking whether or not Happy minded taking him. This wasn't up for debate. He needed this opportunity to prove himself once and for all. Happy just needed to comply with what Natsu told him. He knew Happy would be able to make the journey. Regardless of whether or not he was physically capable to, Happy had the same will as the one who raised him. He was the "Son" of Natsu Dragneel after all and wouldn't give up even if death was at his door.

"Aye sir!" Happy chirped as he planted himself on Natsu's back. A magic circle began to form on the small exceeds shoulder blades as wings began to sprout from them. Without wasting time, he hoisted Natsu into the air and began to soar above Magnolia. The setting sun combined with the scenery was absolutely stunning to say the least, but neither Happy nor Natsu had time to marvel at its beauty just yet. "So why are we going to the mountain range?" Happy began to ask.

Before replying, Natsu scanned Magnolia to make sure no one was following the duo. Making such a loud exit probably wasn't the smartest decision considering Natsu now had to worry about someone trailing him. Once he made sure that they weren't being followed, Natsu began to cautiously speak. "Remember how I was at the guild to go on a date with Lisanna? Well, when we were done finishing our food, she began to speak about the future of our relationship. You're going to think this next part is crazy, but before she was able to finish, I could have sworn I heard Gildarts fighting something towards the Akina Hills… and he was losing. I wanted you to take me there so I can see what's going on." He waited for Happy to respond, but instead, he was left with silence. Natsu assumed that what he said was enough to satisfy Happy's curiosity for the time. "Oh, Before I forget, Thank you for taking me Happy." Natsu finished with gratitude as he remembered he never got a chance to thank his son.

"You're my dad! How can I say no?" Happy joked. Natsu simply smiled at his son's antics.

Now that Natsu was certain that he wasn't being followed, there was nothing that he could do but admire the scenery below him. He refocused his attention from Happy onto the landscape he was flying over. Due to the surprising speed that he was traveling at, Magnolia's charter was already well out of sight. In fact, Natsu had travelled so far with Happy that they could actually see Clover town all the way to the left of them in the distance.

A couple seconds went by before Natsu heard slight panting from above him which was coming from they've only been traveling for around 15 minutes, Happy was never used to traveling so fast which didn't even take into account the fact he was supporting someone.

"Are you doing all right buddy," Natsu asked concerned, "If you're not, you could always lower me down and I can propel myself with my magic the rest of the way there."

"I'm doing fine. Don't worry about me. I'm panting mainly because it's getting harder to breath up here considering the air is beginning to thin as we get closer to the mountain ranges. Aren't your ears beginning to pop? Anyways, you need to save your energy for saving Gildarts."

"I have no idea why my ears aren't popping." Natsu shrugged. "Anyways, just tell me if it's too much. We're more than half way there." Natsu said reluctantly. _"Maybe it was too much for the little guy to handle. I didn't take into account the fact that we're entering the mountain passes and that the air is thinner up here."_

"Hey, Happy… Do you think that I did the right thing?" Natsu asked as he began to question his motives.

"Concerning what?" The blue exceed panted.

"Well, do you think that I should have left Lisanna to help Gildarts? I mean, Lisanna had no idea why I left the guild and I don't want her to get the wrong impression about how I view her."

"It depends, what happened before you left that would give her the wrong impression?"

"She never got the chance to finish what she was asking before I left the guild with you, but I was able to piece together what she was about to say from the context that I was left with. Happy, I think she was about to ask me what I thought about our relationship. It was something on those lines at least."

"That can't be good." Happy sighed as he realized the predicament his father just placed himself in.

"Now that you know what I'm talking about, do you think that saving Gildart's mean more than my relationship with Lisanna?"

A couple seconds went by before Happy was able to form his response. "To tell you the truth Natsu, I honestly don't know. I really don't. You can look at this from two sides. Lisanna might get the wrong idea and think you're not interested in her. On the other hand, this is Gildarts we're talking about. He's our family, so if you have suspicion he's in trouble than you need to act on it as a member of Fairy Tail. Maybe if you told Lisanna what happened then she would learn to forgive you. But I still wouldn't dismiss the fact that you abandoned her at the guild without saying ANYTHING and that she might think that you are just trying to avoid what she never got the chance to finish saying. Even if you apologized, you still might have reminded her of when she died a couple years ago when she left for that S-Class mission where you never confessed your feeling to her."

"How does me leaving before she brought up our relationship have to do with her death on that S-Class mission?" Natsu interrupted.

"Well… I remembered you telling me that you regretted that day ever since. So even when you heard Gildarts fighting in the Akina Hills, it would make sense that you would stay with Lisanna at the guild and let her finish what she was asking. She probably thought that you would have the mindset that she could die at any moment and you needed to value whatever time you had with her."

"I don't understand how she wouldn't be able to look past that considering one of our own Nakama is possibly fighting to his death." Natsu stated.

"You might be right, but remember this is Gildarts who we're talking about. Isn't he supposed to be on that Century Quest of his? He knows the risks that come with being a mage with power that rivals the Wizard Saints. If Lisanna were to assume that you somehow forgot about that day and thinks that you don't value her life the same way you did after her death, she might believe that your relationship with her is fading. That being said, this STILL is Gildarts we're going to help. If he of all people is in trouble, then this can't be good Natsu. I just hope you're ready for what you could face." Happy began to tremble with fear.

"Happy, I don't care what anyone else says. You're pretty smart." Natsu proudly stated. "And don't you worry about me. I can handle whatever Gildart's is fighting." To say that Natsu was surprised at the conclusion his son was able to draw was an understatement. _"He was able to predict the outcome more than I could have and he wasn't even there!"_ Natsu awed.

Happy was only able to analyze the situation he presented by Natsu because he knew what the meaning of love was. Natsu told him what Erza told him in case if Happy ever felt the same way about someone the way that Natsu thought of Lisanna.

"Now that I think about it, if you were able to piece what happened together and you weren't even there, there's no doubt that Lisanna would be questioning how much she's worth to me or herself in general." Natsu muttered. He then came to a startling conclusion, _"If Lisanna is beginning to question her worth, then in that way, you could say that the two of us are the same."_

* * *

Scene Change - Back at guild hall, same time

At this point, Lisanna had no idea how to react to the situation. One moment, she was trying to talk to Natsu about the future of their relationship. Before she had the chance to finish, he bolted out the guild with Happy before she was able to complete what she said. It made her wonder if he knew what she was about to say and just trying to avoid the conversation she was trying to strike.

"I thought… I thought Natsu loved me after he found out I was still alive after that S-Class mission. He even told me that he regretted not confessing his feelings before I went on that quest. If that were really the case, then- then why didn't he let me finish what I was talking to him about? There's no doubt that he knew I had to tell him something important. I mean, I even told him after I finished eating that I wanted to talk to him about something that concerned the both of us. He gave me that startled look on his face when I started to reach the end of what I wanted to say to him. There's no doubt that he knew I wanted to talk about our relationship and was just trying to avoid talking about it. So, am I not worth anything to him? Who am I kidding, Natsu obviously moved on from me. Whatever we had before I moved on to Edolas was buried when he thought I died. He probably only wanted to believe he still had feelings for me when he really doesn't." She quivered under her voice as her forehead rested on her folded arms. Lisanna didn't want to believe it, but right now, she felt completely worthless as she was left alone with Natsu's love, and possibly, their relationship.

"You lovebirds finished quickly!" Kinana chimed from the edge of the table as she took into account the empty plates. Lisanna immediately jumped back into her original position she was sitting in upon hearing the young barmaid's voice.

"Oh, it's just you Kinana," She sighed out of relief, "And yea, Natsu kind of pressured me to scarf down my food." She sighed in response as she remembered why he abandoned her.

"Are you alright Lisanna?" Kinana asked as she took into account Lisanna's head nestled into her folded arms. "Also, where's Natsu?" She asked as she scanned the guild looking for the Dragon Slayer.

"Yea, don't worry about me. I'm just feeling depressed because Natsu bolted out of the guildhall before I could tell him something important." She lowered her head back into her folded arms. A few seconds passed before Kinana was able to form a genuine response.

"I don't know what to say. Natsu is never the type of person to run out on his Nakama when they need him the most- ESPECIALLY you of all people." Kinana paused in order to form another response to cheer the white haired girl up. "I wouldn't lose sleep on what happened. Wherever he went, he has to come back sometime. I'm sure he'll clear everything up by then." Kinana beamed.

Lisanna was eventually able to muster through a fake smile, "Maybe you're right Kinana. This is Natsu we're talking about. Who else can be more unpredictable?"

"That's the spirit," Kinana encouraged.

"Hey Kinana! A couple beers over here please!" Macao and Wakaba chanted from the other end of the bar.

"Whelp, that's my cue to get back to work. Here's your bill Lisanna. If you need anything else, you know where to find me." Kinana smiled before focusing her attention towards Macao and Wakaba.

 _"The bill?! I completely forgot about the bill!"_ Lisanna groaned in her mind as she remembered that Natsu was supposed to pay for her. She began to reluctantly open the black folder which housed her receipt in fear of how much she had to pay. Once the amount was visible for her to see, her jaw nearly went slack at the price their dinner cost her. _"_ _ **65 JEWELS?!"**_ Lisanna screamed within her mind, "I get that we ate higher end food but I don't have 65 Jewels on me!" She began to panic. To add to her distress, she began to recall what Kinana told her about not losing sleep for Natsu ditching her at the guild. _"I wouldn't lose sleep on what happened. Wherever he went, he has to come back sometime. I'm sure he'll clear everything up by then."_ She remembered within her mind. _"Kinana's right, Natsu has to come back sometime. I mean, it's not like he can avoid me forever, but that's not going to make me feel better considering he abandoned me here when he knew I was going to talk about our relationship. The look on his face before he left me, the speed he hurried out of the guild, what more do I need to know that he doesn't view me the same way he once did?"_ She finished within her mind as tears began to well up in her eyes again. Her posture began to sink again as she sat slumped against her edge of the bar.

"Hey Lisanna, weren't you with Natsu?" Someone asked from above.

"Mmm…" Lisanna responded not bothering to look up at the person who approached her. "Look, I really don't want to talk about why I'm in a shitty mood to anyone. So if that's why you're here then-,"

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa. I came up and asked you where Natsu was. Is that so much to ask?"

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want to talk about why Natsu ditching me… Gray?" Lisanna questioned as she lifted her head to see who approached her.

"You couldn't tell from my voice?" He chuckled. "All you had to tell me was that you didn't want to talk about Natsu leaving you here all by yourself. You didn't need explain why that hurt your feelings. You know what Gramps says about our personal life. If you wanted to share it, you would have already."

"Thanks for respecting that Gray." Lisanna smiled at his Gentleman-like nature.

"So you don't know why Flame Breath bailed on you?

"Not a clue. He just sprinted out before anyone could stop him." Lisanna sighed.

Gray debated for a couple of seconds whether or not to make a risky move considering the condition Lisanna was in. _"If Pyro bailed on Lisanna, that's gotta mean that she's available. I mean, who would run out on a girl wearing a getup like THAT if they were interested in her. That has to be the reason why she is sad, even though Lisanna doesn't want to tell me. I guess it would be alright to make a move then. Here it goes."_ Gray concluded in his mind.

"You know Lisanna, if I were him, I wouldn't think about bailing on dinner when it would be with you of all people." He nonchalantly stated. Lisanna instantly froze upon hearing this statement and her face began to grow red out of anger and embarrassment.

 _"Is Gray seriously hitting on me when I'm dating Natsu?!"_ She mentally screamed. _"I mean… Natsu doesn't care about me… Does he?"_ She slowly began to regain her composure.

 _"Of Course he cares about you!"_ The white haired girl debated with her conscious.

 _"No he doesn't. He broke up with me the minute he bolted from the guild. He knew I wanted to talk about the future of our relationship but he chose to avoid me."_

 _"But Natsu took so long to figure what Love was before your death! He regretted not taking your feelings into account ever since. You can't just betray him."_

 _"And he still chose to run away when I needed to talk to him the most! I wasn't the one to betray Natsu. Natsu was the one to betray me. Plus, Grays a nice guy. Right?"_

 _"Gray doesn't even understand why you're sad in the first place! He thinks you're sad because you're single, not because you feel that Natsu made you feel worthless._

"So? How about you join me at my table?" Gray offered before Lisanna could fully comprehend the situation.

 _"Don't you do it! Don't you do it!"_

"You know what, maybe that will cheer me up." Lisanna smiled at the offer as she got up from her barstool. "But first I have to find a way to pay this bill." She groaned.

"Did that pink idiot really leave with you with no money? That's typical from a guy who doesn't understand love." Gray sneered at his rival.

Upon hearing this, Lisanna gave him a harsh scowl as she remembered what Natsu faced before her death.

 _"I told you that Gray doesn't understand Natsu and you."_ Lisanna conscious returned.

"What's was that look for?" Gray stated. "I was just about he pay the bill for you." He interrupted as he began to shell out jewels from his pouch.

"You would do that?! Thank you so much Gray!" Lisanna was snapped back to reality before she could retaliate to Gray insulting Natsu's lack of knowledge concerning love.

"That's what Fairy Tail Guild members do. We help each other in need." He smiled as he placed the payment on the bar's counter. "Now let's get back to my table." Gray chuckled.

* * *

Scene Change - Akina Hills, later that evening

"Hey Natsu, we're approaching the Akina Hills now. Be on the lookout for Gildarts." Happy cautioned while wheezing. His breathing was now ragged and raspy due to the lack of Oxygen present at the altitude he was flying at.

"Hang on buddy, just a couple more minutes until we find Gildarts. Plus, it shouldn't be that hard to find a guy who destroys whatever he touches." Natsu chuckled as he referred to Gildart's _**Crush**_ magic. He hoped that would be enough to lift his son's mind off the taxing journey. As Natsu scanned the mountain range for anything that stuck out to him, he began to realize how beautiful the scenery was. There were many different hills of varying sizes that all had green plant life sprouting from them. All the hills were in a circular formation with the shortest hills that had little to no steepness being located on the outside. The tallest of hills were located within the interior of the formation and already began to obstruct his field of vision which required Happy to navigate him around them in order to not miss any blind spots. Natsu debated on asking Happy if he could fly above the hills so he could get an aerial view of the landscape, but he didn't want to risk Happy flying any higher in fear that they would start suffocating from a lack of air. The most beautiful part of the mountain range was the setting sun which turned the visible horizon a fiery orange as it peered through the gaps in the hills.

"Happy, I think I have a way we can locate Gildarts without getting lost."

"You'd better hurry up Natsu. The hills are beginning to surround us and I'm starting to get lost. I wish I could go higher to give us an aerial view but the Oxygen is way too thin up there."

"Just keep flying straight towards the setting sun. You won't have to worry about the glare coming from it because the hills do a pretty good job at filtering out the light. Right now, we're flying directly towards the center of the hill formation. The mountain range is just small enough so that we can see directly across it in all directions if we were observing it from the center.

"How will that help us considering the hills are too tall to look across?"

"You're going to take me to the center and set me down on the ground. I'm then going to propel myself up with my magic so I can briefly get a bird's eye view of where Gildarts is."

"But Natsu! You need to save your magic for when you need to save Gildarts. It'll take way too much magic to propel you from the ground above the hills! Besides, by the time you get high enough to see Gildarts, you'll be out of air and might pass out if you can't get back down in time." Happy wheezed.

"I know it's risky, but I don't see any other way of doing this. You're already on the last leg of your magic, don't lie about it, plus, I don't literally want you to set me on the ground. When we get to the center, there's a giant hill that is much larger than the rest of the hills in the Akina Mountain range. I want you to set me on the same level we're already flying at. I'll hold my breath and propel into the air from there so I don't have to start from the ground."

"I guess." Happy sighed. "I just have one question Natsu."

"Shoot away little guy."

"How do you know there's a giant hill in the middle of the Akina Mountain range? In fact, now that I think about it, how do you know about the Akina Hills at all?" Happy asked intrigued.

"Because…" Natsu breathed in," Because the base of that hill was where…" However, before Natsu could continue, he was interrupted by a noise that momentarily paralyzed him.

" **RRRAAAaaawwwrrrrrr!** " The sound shook the landscape. The intensity of the sound immediately caused Happy to faint. Natsu's enhanced hearing left him writhing in pain as blood began to drip from his ears forcing him to cover them reflexively. Happy's grip on him went slack and the two of them began plummeting towards the hillside directly in front of them. Natsu reluctantly let go of his ears and grabbed a hold of the blue exceed before they drifted too far away from each other.

"Happy, you have to wake up!" Natsu screamed at his son who was in his arms. Despite his efforts, happy remained unconscious. There was no time for Natsu to activate a spell to propel him and his son away from the hillside meters away from them. Instead, he tucked Happy into his abdomen and faced his back towards the hillside as he plummeted into it. Because of how steep the hillside was, Natsu was able to position his landing so that the hill slowed him down over time rather than his back impacting the surface directly.

The sound that their impact made was noticeably loud, but paled in comparison to roar that caused Happy to faint. A large dust cloud emerged as Natsu's back was dragged down the mountain to the base which forced him to close his eyes. He was able to use his legs as an anchor for the rest of his body which slowly ended his painful descent down the hillside.

After a couple seconds of plummeting down the mountain, Natsu was able to completely stop his descent. The dust cloud that was created from his back being dragged began to dissipate and the fact that he was able to regain control over his body was a sign that Natsu could reopen his eyes.

"What… What the hell was that?" Natsu shuddered as he winced at the immense burning sensation that coursed through his back. He could feel small droplets of blood begin to pool up in his ears from the relentless sound that completely left him reeling. "And why did it sound familiar? It almost sounds like… No, that's impossible. There's no way." Natsu dismissed his thought as he realized how ridiculous it was. For a moment, he could have sworn that the sound he heard was similar to Igneel's roar. However, there was no time to think about that. Natsu was injured: Badly. Although he couldn't see it, he knew that his entire back suffered severe lacerations from the brutal decent he just made. His clothes were left in rags and he wasn't even to the point where he planned to help Gildarts. To make matters worse, Happy was unconscious from the previous roar and because he used too much magic to fly Natsu.

Natsu carefully unraveled his son from his grip to examine his current condition.

"Thank god." Natsu sighed in relief. Apart from Happy being unconscious, he was still breathing and had no injuries. To his surprise, Happy slowly began to rustle within Natsu's arms and began to flutter his eyes open.

"Na- Natsu?" The young exceed spoke.

"HAPPY!" Natsu blurted much louder than he intended. "You're alright!"

"Aye sir." Happy said weakly.

"Happy, do you have enough energy to fly?" Natsu asked concerned.

"I have enough magic to fly by myself, but I don't have enough to fly while supporting you."

Natsu placed his son on the patch of grass next to him and staggered to his feet while facing him. "Happy," Natsu stated seriously, "You need to get out of here while you can. That roar sounded as if it came from the other side of those hills." Natsu gestured while turning his back towards his son to examine the mountains in front of him. "If whatever made that roar does it a second time, you'll go unconscious again. I can't help Gildarts knowing that I also need to protect you."

"But Natsu." Happy whispered with exhaustion. "Your back. You're really hurt. Please don't do this." Tears began to well up in his eyes as he got a glimpse of Natsu's injuries. His entire backside had deep cuts ranging in size while the part of his tunic that covered his back was completely torn off.

"I know I'm really hurt. But I still have my magic which means I can still fight. Happy, I know this is going to be tough for you. But you need to leave me. Plus, I'll be with Gildarts. Who do you know who's tougher than him? Besides me of course." Natsu joked.

"Are you sure Natsu? I could try to carry you back." Happy suggested.

"Don't lie. You said it yourself; you don't have the magic to support me." Natsu said as he refaced Happy. "Go back to Fairy Tail and I'll meet you there when I find Gildarts. If we aren't back by the time the sun fully sets…" Natsu paused as he had no idea how to proceed from there.

"What happens if you guys aren't back by then?" Happy asked concerned.

"Forget I said anything. That won't happen. Now go before whatever made that roar does it again!" Natsu snapped.

"Please be careful." Happy sobbed as he began to fly backwards while still facing Natsu

"Always." Natsu finished before turning his back and sprinting to the base of the hill.

Because of the large plummet he faced, Natsu was only a couple meters away from the ground. He leaped from the remaining height of the hill that he descended from, planted his feet, and made a beeline towards the hills that obstructed his view of whatever caused the roar.

 _"This is it. I finally get to prove my worth and potential. Whatever made that roar was strong enough to instantly knock Happy unconscious. I don't know if I could think of a more powerful monster. Happy will be fine. He'll soon be out of earshot from that noise so it won't bother him. I just need to focus towards the task at hand."_ Natsu thought to himself. He had absolutely full confidence that he would be able to atop whatever beast was attacking his guildmate as long as he focused. Then he could go back to his life once he felt satisfied. He could divert his attention towards Lisanna, Happy, and the rest of his Nakama. He could finally focus on his relationship's future. Most importantly, however, he would finally make his father proud.

This was enough to give Natsu the morale boost he was looking for. This caused the Dragon Slayer to pick up his pace as he rounded the remaining hills that separated him from his opponent regardless of the pain shooting through his back. As his vision slowly began to reveal what awaited him, Natsu realized the magnitude of the situation at hand. His initial reaction was of utter shock. Natsu's pace slowed from a breakneck sprint to a staggered walk. His composure immediately tensed up in anticipation for anything else unexpected to happen to him. Natsu's brown eyes which once housed determination widened at the landscape before him: if you could even call it landscape anymore.

The giant hill that he anticipated to be met with was gone. There was nothing left of it. All the surrounding hills in the formation were leveled and a large black crater remained in their places. Inside the crater were large dents created from multiple impacts which Natsu credited to for causing the sounds he heard back at the guild. The lack of hills made the setting sun clearly visible to anyone from where he was standing. However, this was far from the most startling thing that Natsu had to endure.

As he scanned the black crater that descended in front of him, Natsu realized what brought him to the mountain range and why it sounded so familiar to Igneel. An enormous black dragon was hovering over the crater and had its back turned to him. However, this dragon's appearance was nothing like Igneel. It hadn't uttered a single word since Natsu left the guild hall. The dragon had a distinctive pattern of blue scales that ran throughout its body which complemented the black ones. The dragon was overall slightly larger than Igneel. The final initial detail that Natsu was able to take into account was the grey underbelly that he could just barely see due to the dragon's back facing him.

 _"A… A dragon! I thought Igneel was the last of them. If this dragon is still alive, maybe he knows where Igneel is!"_ Natsu cheered in his mind as he couldn't believe the luck he ran into. Not only was he getting the chance to prove his worth by helping Gildarts, but possibly find his long lost father. Natsu was finally going to be able to tell Igneel that he was able to keep the promise he made to him seven years ago.

Without wasting a second, Natsu jumped off the edge of the crater he was standing on and slid into the black ditch. Immediately after sliding into it, he planted his feet into the blackened ash and let his body mass slide him down towards the center. The black dragon was no longer obstructing his view of the crater's center which allowed the pink haired Dragon Slayer to locate the dragon's opponent.

Natsu was sliding directly towards a middle aged man with orange hair. He was kneeling on his right knee and panting heavily from the previous fighting. The high altitude and low air pressure contributed to his labored breathing. The signature black cloak that he wore was not present at the time so Natsu assumed that it was destroyed throughout the fight. His loose, dark pants were heavily tattered and were untucked from the grey combat boots that he wore. The armored waist guard plating that protected him had multiple dents and scratches although still intact. The man failed to notice the pink haired Dragon Slayer make his descent into the crater as his focus was currently on the black dragon hovering over him.

"Damn it. This thing is too strong. If I retreat now I don't think this dragon will follow me out of the hills. He's obviously here for the same reason I am. I have enough magic to see if I can complete this part of the quest at least." The man muttered to himself.

Natsu immediately ceased his sliding into the crater upon seeing the middle aged man. "Gildarts!" He said aloud as he spotted his target,

Gildarts labored breathing instantly froze upon Natsu saying his name. He slowly began to focus his attention towards the Dragon Slayer not believing his presence. Both their eyes locked gazes before Gildarts realized the situation at hand. "Natsu?" He slowly increased his volume. " **WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?** " He roared with anger and concern.

"WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? I'M HERE TO SAVE YOUR ASS OLD MAN! " Natsu retorted. "HEY ASSHOLE! GILDARTS MIGHT NOT BE STRONG ENOUGH TO STOP YOU, BUT I SURE AS HELL AM. TELL ME WHERE IGNEEL IS OR ELSE!" Natsu focused his attention towards the black dragon above him. The dragon immediately snapped his head towards the pink haired slayer who uttered the bold remark. Instead of sneering or laughing, the dragon looked at Natsu directly into his brown eyes. Natsu and Gildarts immediately covered their ears as the dragon responded with an ear shattering roar. Somehow, it managed to overcome the previous one that knocked out Happy. If it wasn't for their fast reflexes, they would have gone deaf without a doubt.

 **"NATSU GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE. THIS DRAGON DOESN'T WANT TO TALK TO US! DON'T YOU THINK HE WOULD HAVE IF HE WANTED TO? THIS MONSTER IS WAY OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE. IF IT CAN MAKE YOU DEAF JUST BY ITS ROAR YOU HAVE NO CHANCE AGAINST HIM. LEAVE WHILE YOU STILL CAN!"** Gildarts boomed.

 _"Gildarts does have a point. But something doesn't make sense."_ Natsu slowed his thoughts down _. Since when did Dragons fight humans? I thought dragons and humans were friends. If this dragons hurting Gildarts, then I can't really say that I can just let him leave. I'll have to beat some sense into him then he'll have to tell me where Igneel is."_ Natsu concluded completely ignoring the fact that his new opponent was completely out of his league.

"YEA BUT MAYBE IF HE SEES I'M IGNEEL'S SON HE'LL CHANGE HIS MIND." Natsu said in hopes Gildarts would still let him fight.

 **"OPEN YOUR EYES NATSU! LOOK AT THE CRATER WE'RE STANDING IN. THIS DRAGON WAS ABLE TO DO IT FROM A SINGLE BLAST AND IT WASN'T EVEN AT FULL POWER."**

 _"A single blast? Who cares. I'm a Dragon Slayer. My magic is supposed to deal with something like this. Plus, that'll look all the better when I end up slaying this monster."_ Natsu thought to himself. "I'm not like you Gildarts! I'm a goddamn Dragon Slayer. My magic is meant to slay dragons. _Watch me._ " Natsu finished as he clenched his fists. He was actually starting to get emotionally angered. Did Gildarts really think that he didn't have the power to slay a dragon? If he couldn't even do that, what's the point of even being called a dragon slayer?"

"NATSU YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO. DON'T YOU REMEMBER? I'M ON MY-"

However, before Gildarts could finish saying that he was on his Century Quest which was strictly confidential, the black dragon recovered from the roar it made and descended towards Natsu's position and separated his view from Gildarts. Natsu rolled to the side narrowly missing the dragon's claws that would have dismembered him completely if they hit him. Instead of hitting its target, the dragon dragged his claws across the crater and left a wide gash in the ground. The gust of wind that generated from the breakneck speed the dragon was traveling at blew Natsu into the air which positioned him out of the crater where he originally came from. As Natsu rolled through the air, Gildarts was able to get a clear view of his backside.

 _"What the hell happened to his back? There's no way that Dragon was able to do that to his back without even touching him. I thought he would last long enough for me to convince him he's outmatched but he might not even be alive at that point."_ Gildarts thought to himself as he took into account the deep wounds on Natsu's back. The possibilities that Gildarts could continue his mission inside the mountain ranges were slowly depleting.

 _"This is it,"_ Natsu thought, _"It's time to prove my worth_." He finished as he recovered from the knockback. Natsu planted his feet firmly on the ground above the crater and located his target hovering back to his initial position.

"I've never felt more alive. Screw holding back. I'm going to show everyone what I'm capable of regardless of whether or not this dragon is ready to get **BURNED**." Natsu roared the last word as his brown eyes flared up. His abdomen was roaring to let loose the raging fire housing within him. He anchored his feet into the ground, braced his body for the knockback, and formed his hands into a funnel that he connected to his mouth. A magic circle formed at the end of the funnel he created which he ensured was aligned with his target. He inhaled whatever Oxygen he could before casting his spell.

 _ **"Fire Dragon Roar!"**_ The dragon slayer boomed before unleashing a stream of flames angled at his target. The stream of flames hit their intended target, but Natsu immediately went into a state of shock as he witnessed the spell he used. For the amount of magic he put behind them, his flames were traveling less than half their intended speed. To make matters worse, the stream was miniscule in size and was expected of when Natsu first joined Fairy Tail.

"What the actual fuck," Gildarts questioned to himself, "Natsu's _**Fire Dragon Roar**_ is a hell of a lot stronger than that. Did he waste all his magic to get here?" He reasoned out loud.

Back above the crater, Natsu stood where he was completely dumbfounded. His eyes widened as he was at a complete loss of words. _"There's no way. That was one of my most powerful roars I've ever done. The size of it was completely pathetic!"_ Natsu thought as he dug his nails into his palms to the point where they drew blood.

Gildarts immediately took into accounts Natsu's dazed state and concluded the pink haired mage couldn't have used his magic to get here. _"What else could be the reason for his magic suddenly losing power…?"_ The middle aged man thought to himself as he ruled out the first possibility. After a few moments, Gildart's eyes suddenly shot open as he realized the sudden decrease in Natsu's magic.

 **"NATSU! LISTEN TO ME!"** Gildarts yelled in concern. **"YOU'RE FIGHTING IN THE MOUNTAINS. THERE'S NO OXYGEN UP HERE. FIRE NEEDS OXYGEN TO BURN!"** Gildarts now realized that his S-Class mission wasn't his priority. Saving Natsu was.

The dragon slowly emerged from the blast created by Natsu's roar. Aside from being engulfed in the explosion that Natsu's spell generated, it was completely unscathed. The dragon began to emit low grunts as if it was mocking the strength of his opponent.

Natsu slowly started to step backwards: Each foot carefully being placed behind the last to ensure he didn't fall and accidentally take his eyes off his target. _"This has to be some kind of screwed up nightmare,"_ He trembled within his mind, _"Of all things to stop me from fighting, Oxygen is the reason?"_ Natsu then halted his movement backwards. _"No! I've been waiting seven years for this moment. I'm still a freaking Dragon Slayer, it shouldn't be this hard to slay a dragon even with a fraction of my strength!"_ Natsu vented in his mind. " _If I can't even do that, I can't be called a Fairy Tail mage none the less Igneel's son!"_ He finished in his mind. Natsu had no other option considering the self doubt he had been facing lately. He was either going to slay the dragon in front of him, or he wasn't going to accept being worthy enough to be called a Fairy Tail mage and Igneel's son.

Before Natsu could decide his next move, the black dragon began to rapidly flutter its wings from above the crater. Black wave arcs began to generate from its scales and traveled towards Natsu at a startling speed. He was immediately forced to go on the defensive again in order to avoid being obliterated by the barrage of waves.

As he Natsu continued to dodge the dragon's onslaught, he began to approach the edge of the crater as he had an idea that could possibly give him the advantage. He jumped up into the air above the crater and landed directly on the dragons back. He positioned himself between the cross section of its wings and body and hoisted his left elbow above his chest. _**"Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!"**_ Natsu yelled as he focused a large amount of magic into his elbow. He then brought down his elbow onto the dragon's scales and slammed them with his entire body's weight. "If I can't attack you from a distance, maybe attacking you at close range will do something!" Natsu smirked ash he marveled at the explosion that encased him with his opponent.

The dragon then immediately did a midair roll and flung the Dragon Slayer towards the center of the crater where Gildart's was standing. Natsu tumbled through the air before impacting the ground with his side. He slid up until he reached Gildart's position where he was hoisted back to his feet by the middle aged man. "Natsu! Are you able to stand on your own?

"Yuh- Yea. Don't worry about me, I'm just getting started." Natsu said as he fought out of Gildart's grip.

 **"Fire Dragon's ro-** hhhhhhhhh." Natsu finished by wheezing uncontrollably because of the lack of Oxygen

 _"Shit, this isn't good,"_ Gildarts muttered in his thoughts, _"There's no way Natsu can get out on his own anymore. He has no more magic to propel himself."_

Back in the sky, the black dragon was beginning to get annoyed at Natsu's stubbornness. The longer it fought in the mountain range, the more the dragon risked being spotted by other people. However, he couldn't just kill Natsu and Gildarts with a single blast. "The only reason I haven't wiped you two off the face of Earthland is because I came here for a reason." The dragon spoke downwards at the duo with a low growl.

Both Natsu and Gildarts snapped their heads upwards to look at their opponent. "You can speak?!" They said in unison.

"Of course I can speak. I just never thought that I would get the chance before I killed you two." The dragon sneered.

"Like hell you can kill us with a single blast. If you could kill us in a single blast you would have!" Natsu challenged.

"Are you asking for a death wish Natsu?" Gildarts gritted through his teeth.

 **"How stubborn are you?"** The dragon roared which forced the duo to cover their ears to prevent them from rupturing. "I already told you that I came here for a reason. If I use an attack strong enough to kill you two then there will be nothing left of this mountain range. However, seeing as I can't stay here much longer, I'll have to just kill you and move on." The dragon sneered.

"No." Gildarts whispered below his breath.

"Yes!" The dragon roared again towards the middle aged man. "I know that you're here for the same reason I am. Why do you think you met me here of all places? Did you actually believe that a dragon would just appear out of thin air? That this was all a coincidence? Anyways, unfortunately, I've spent too much time in these mountain ranges. The last thing I need is for anyone to see me here."

"What do you mean anyone else sees you here? What about us? We can see you and you can bet your ass we're going to tell everyone that dragons still exist! Wait until the magic counsel finds out!" Natsu argued.

"You can't do that if you're dead," The dragon cruelly laughed, "So I'll tell you one thing before I obliterate you humans. My name is Acnologia. I am the Chaos Dragon." As Acnologia finished what he was saying, he slowly began to descend higher into the sky as to not get caught by the blast he was about to generate. The black dragon began to inhale an enormous amount of air into his agape mouth: so much to the point that Natsu and Gildarts had to resist being dragged into the vacuum created by the dragon. As more and more air began to be inhaled into the dragon's body, a black orb began to replace the empty space within its mouth.

"SHIT!" Gildarts yelled above the howl of wind around them. "NATSU! LISTEN TO ME! HOLD ONTO MY LEFT ARM AND DON'T LET GO. WE HAVE ONE SHOT AT ESCAPING THIS ALIVE!" Gildarts yelled just below the raging wind as to not alert Acnologia of his plans.

"SHOULDN'T THAT PLAN INCLUDE RUNNING AWAY FROM THE BLAST?" Natsu sarcastically questioned as he witnessed the growing orb inside Acnologia's mouth.

"NATSU, CAN YOU EVEN SEE THE SIZE OF THE CRATER WE'RE STANDING IN? IF THAT WASN'T EVEN STRONG ENOUGH TO KILL ME, IMAGINE WHAT AN ATTACK THAT COULD KILL US WOULD DO! IF WE RUN AWAY NOW WE WOULD BE CAUGHT IN THE BLAST! THIS WILL WORK, BUT MY TIMING HAS TO BE PERFECT. YOU'LL SEE WHY IN A BIT BUT YOU JUST HAVE TO TRUST ME FOR NOW!" Gildarts yelled above the wind.

 _"Gildarts shouldn't be the one that has to worry about me trusting him. Lisanna is considering I left her and ended up here only to completely fail. This was supposed to be my time to prove my worth. Instead, I feel even weaker now considering I can't slay a dragon."_ Natsu concluded as he lowered his head. He was completely oblivious to the fact that he was mere seconds away from possibly dying.

The orb that was forming in Acnologia's mouth had nearly reached its apex. Gildarts could tell because the vacuum created began to lose its power and the raging winds began to simmer down.

"Get ready Natsu." Gildarts spoke with a hushed. The orb finally reached its apex and a slight pause followed. During that moment, everything went still. Gildarts and Natsu could hear their own heartbeats, the rustling wind, and their ragged breaths from the lack of Oxygen. The tension was practically tearing Natsu apart as to what Gildarts would do to save them.

A magic circle formed in front of Acnologia's black orb. Without hesitation, a blinding black light flashed around the orb for a second. The dragon then unleashed a constant stream of black energy from the black orb which was funneled into the magic circle. The massive beam was then projected directly towards the duo standing in the crater.

 _ **"THERE!"**_ Gildarts yelled in his mind as he saw that the black beam was so massive that it obstructed Acnologia's vision. Gildarts immediately kneeled towards the ground, ensured Natsu was still holding onto his left arm, and struck the ground with his right fist using all his might, **"** _ **Undermine."**_ The Crush mage said with a hushed tone. An enormous impact shook the entire mountain range as everything went black…

* * *

Scene Change - Unknown Location, same time

 _"I'm dead."_ Natsu thought to himself as everything around him was completely black. _"I didn't even get to keep my promise to Igneel."_ He began to shed tears slightly.

"Natsu, are you alright?" A voice broke the silence.

"Gildarts?!" Natsu yelled.

 **"Shhh,** Keep your voice down! I have no idea if that dragon thinks we're dead yet." Gildarts scolded. Thankfully because of the darkness surrounding them, Gildarts wasn't able to see the tears that fell down Natsu's face.

"So… I haven't been killed?!" Natsu yelled with a lowered voice.

"I hope not, because that's my job considering you interrupted my quest even though I instructed you to leave!" Gildarts raised his angered voice slightly. "I told you that you never stood a chance against that dragon! Gildarts growled angrily.

"Gildarts… Do you really think that I never stood a chance?" Natsu began to quiver slightly.

"Neither of us did, so don't feel bad. But that's not the point Natsu. What the hell were you doing here in the first place?"

 _"What do you mean me not standing a chance wasn't the point!"_ Natsu roared within his mind. _"That's the only reason I came up to the mountains in the first place! So you're saying that I never stood a chance against a dragon which is something that my magic is supposed to slay_?" Natsu fumed. He wished he could tell Gildarts this, but if he did, the orange haired man would figure out that he had doubted his worth as of lately. Instead, Natsu went with the second reason he came to the mountains. "Well, I heard you fighting up in the hills and thought you needed help."

"That's not really what I meant to ask. What I meant to ask is why did you interrupt me? I know you're stubborn at times, Natsu. But this can't be forgiven easily considering I'm on my Century Quest."

"What do you mean? Everyone knows about your century quest!" Natsu argued.

"Do you know what it's specifically about?" Gildarts waited for a response. "Exactly, that lies with me and Master Makarov because of how confidential it must be kept. I'll ask you one last time Natsu. Why did you really come up here?" Gildarts pressed.

"I told you everything you want to know old man! I heard you grunting back at the guild hall and assumed you needed help. Gramps is the one that says that Fairy Tail mages don't abandon each other in need." Natsu lied. He very well knew the risks of coming here concerning how Gildarts would react. Natsu was hoping for Gildarts to overlook the fact that he knew the risks of the Century quest thus not needing to aid him. While the orange haired mage was able to overlook that, he focused more on the fact that the quest was confidential meaning that Natsu had to interrupt it for a specific reason.

"Be quiet," Gildarts snapped, "We still don't know if that dragon left yet." Before he could divert back to the original topic, Natsu interrupted.

"Hey Gildarts, where are we? You keep talking about how the dragon can possibly hear us, but how close to him are we?" Natsu used this as an opportunity to change the subject. Wherever they were, Natsu could only see pitch black.

"In all honesty, I don't even know how far away we are from him." Gildarts whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, did you get to see the spell I used?"

"I saw a bit of it. It happened really fast, but I think I saw you punch the ground and whisper a spell."

"That's pretty much it." Gildarts shrugged. "That spell is called _**Undermine.**_ It does something you wouldn't expect. It's kind of hard to explain, but essentially all it does is move sediment from the surface and buries it under ground. While the sediment we're standing on moved downwards, it was replaced by sediment below us which moved upwards to take its place. The reason the timing had to be perfect is because I needed to use the spell right when Acnologia couldn't see me use it. If Acnologia saw us, then he would have known that we escaped." Gildarts sighed.

"Well… What do we do now?" Natsu questioned.

"We wait here for a bit more. We need to make sure that Acnologia is out of the mountain range. After that, I'll be able to finish this part of the Century Quest. Whatever the reason he was here, Acnologia wanted to stop me from completing the quest." The orange haired mage sighed. A couple minutes of silence passed between the two companions before Natsu heard rustling from Gildarts.

"Are we good?" Natsu asked.

"We should be. You stay here while I make sure that he's gone so I can at least finish my quest." Gildarts grunted as he slowly began to clear the debris above them. Every movement was with extreme caution to ensure that the sediment above them didn't cave in. When Gildarts got to the dirt at the surface, he carefully removed the sediment separating him from ground level. He slowly peered his head over out of the tunnel only to be blinded by the sun that had almost completely set.

"That's weird." Gildarts questioned with suspicion as his eyes adjusted. "I could have sworn that the hills filtered out the sun's glare from-" Before he could continue, however, his eyes adjusted and was met with a shocking scene. The reason that the Akina Hills didn't filter out the sunlight was because there were no hills.

Gildarts slowly lifted himself up above the ground as he couldn't believe what he witnessed. He stood up and examined the entire scenery while turning around to see if there was anything left of the mountain range that he missed. As much as he didn't want to admit it, the entire mountain range was gone. Nothing was left of it. Instead, Gildarts was standing in the center of a charred crater that consumed where the hills once stood.

Gildarts was expecting the blast to be large enough to not be escaped; however, he wasn't expecting the entire mountain range to be completely buried.

"Hey Gildarts, are you doing fine up there?" Natsu shouted. After a few moments of no response, he started to become worried and feared that Gildarts faith had took a turn for the worst. Natsu immediately jumped out of the small room he was present in and started to climb his way towards the light above him. He reluctantly poked his head out of the dugout that Gildarts created and gasped at what he saw. The entire mountain range was reduced to a black crater that Gildarts and he were in the middle of.

Now that the adrenaline died out from nearly losing their lives, Gildarts began to comprehend the situation at hand.

 _"This is what Acnologia wanted. He meant to kill Natsu and me while making sure no one would be able to complete the quest after my death. If Natsu wasn't here, then the Acnologia wouldn't have lost his patience and leveled the entire mountain range. I might have been critically injured as a result, but at least I could have come back another time to finish the quest."_ Gildarts pieced together in his mind.

Gildarts face was shadowed with anger and rage as he finished his realization. Gildart's power slowly began to leak from his body in a white aura as he was losing his temper. To him, the worst part about the situation was that it could have been prevented if Natsu listened. As his body emitted a white aura, he roared at Natsu.

 **"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING INTERRUPTING A CENTURY QUEST LIKE THAT?! I SPECIFICALLY TOLD YOU TO LEAVE BEFORE THE SITUATION GOT OUT OF HAND AND YOU STILL DIDN'T LISTEN!"**

"How is this my fault?!" Natsu argued. "Nothing could have prevented Acnologia from wiping out the Akina mountains!"

 **"NATSU! ACNOLOGIA WIPED OUT THE MOUNTAIN RANGE BECAUSE HE GREW IMPATIENT FROM FIGHTING YOU. HE DIDN'T WANT TO RISK PEOPLE FINDING OUT ABOUT HIS EXISTENCE SO HE TRIED TO KILL US AND STOP ANYONE FROM COMPLETING THE QUEST AFTER ME! IF YOU WEREN'T HERE, I MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET THE QUEST DONE WITHOUT YOU AS A DISTRACTION!"** Gildarts roared back. _"Wait until Master Makarov finds out about this_." He muttered within his mind. The reason Gildarts came to the hills no longer existed and thus his century quest came to an end.

Natsu had no way to argue back. Gildarts was right. As guilt ushered through his body, Natsu realized that his weakness and lack of worth wasn't only affecting him, but also his Nakama.

" _Gildarts would still be on his Century Quest if I wasn't weak."_ Natsu concluded as guilt ushered through his body.

* * *

Thank you for your time!

 **Story Note:** A lot of things went down in this chapter, I know. It's probably best if I address anything that seems ambiguous.

First off, Lisanna and Gray have the wrong idea. Lisanna thinks that Natsu was initially afraid because she was about to talk about their relationship. In fact Natsu was startled because of Gildarts needing help. As a result, she's blinded right now by what's in front of her and has already moved on to Gray. Despite Gray insulting Natsu as accused him on not knowing anything about love (Despite spending Lisanna's "death" trying to cope with the fact he never got the chance to confess), Lisanna still technically "abandoned" Natsu.

Right now, Gray thinks that Lisanna is sad because she wasn't "good enough" for Natsu. Furthermore, he thinks that Natsu isn't interested in her when he doesn't even know what is happening to Gildarts.

For Natsu, he's starting to believe that his weakness is starting to impact not only him, but also his Nakama because he failed to prove his worth. Not only that, but he disappointed Gildarts who can no longer complete his century quest.

Will Natsu be able to recover from this blow? Or will it get worse?

Alright guys, let's get serious a bit. For all the people enjoying this little story, there's going to be a MAJOR plot twist somewhere in the next 2 chapters. This was planned from the beginning, however, all I can say is that if you're getting too attached to the story, get ready to shift gears or you better find another fanfiction to read. I'm not trying to be rude, I just don't want to waste your time. If you decide to stick around, see what happens, and wait for the plot twist but still hate it, please bear in mind that this will be directly related to Natsu's tragic flaw of weakness and worth.

If you find his tragic flaws interesting, you will definitely enjoy what comes after the plot twist. However, that's all I can say. I don't want to spoil whats to come.

 **Off-topic** **Note:** Lastly, if anyone is interested with socializing with me, I game on my Xbox One (Specifically Destiny 2). If you're a fellow guardian, message me and I'll respond with my Gamertag!

Alright, that's REALLY the end. Get out of here now (:


	4. Chapter 4 - Punishment and Foreshadowing

**Author's Note (Second one at the end):** Here we are, another update for A Dragon From Immolation! Thanksgiving might be over, but this Fanfiction sure as hell isn't! Just a little something to pull you through until I get my month and a half college break for Winter. Please stick around until the very end of this chapter if you can, there will be some clarifications concerning what's about to go down.

Once again, there's going to be a dramatic change in the plot next chapter. I've been slowly pulling you guys along up until this point, but please bear in mind that I intended for the plot shift that will happen next chapter from the very beginning. What I'm trying to say is that if you've gotten attached to what you think the plot is going to be about, you should probably find another Fanfiction to read. I don't want to waste your time. Natsu's traits concerning his lack of strength and going to tie in perfectly with the next arc. So if OVERALL adventure and badass Natsu interest you, you're going to enjoy what happens in the next arc. Until then, I'll be seeing you around!

* * *

A Dragon From Immolation

 **Chapter four: Punishment and Foreshadowing**

The Fairy Tail Guild hall still had its typical everyday attitude despite the absence of a certain pink haired Dragon Slayer. Team Natsu was occupied at one end of the guild while random guild members were scattered around various sports of the hall trying not to make too much ruckus. The only thing out of the ordinary was a white haired girl who was doing everything in her capabilities to cheer herself up. Lisanna was sitting with Gray at his own table without Natsu, which was unusual in itself. No matter how interesting Gray's adventures with Team Natsu were during the time she was in Edolas, she wasn't able give the maker mage her full attention. She just wasn't as satisfied as she expected for having Gray as her company even though he was a good enough gentleman to pay her dinner bill.

 _"Why do I feel this way?"_ Lisanna thought in her mind as she did everything in her capabilities to keep her composure in front of Gray. _"Even though I'm sitting across from Gray, why does it feel like something is missing? Could it be that I can't get over Natsu?"_

 _"You can't get over Natsu because you know that you love him deep down inside your heart. That's something that Gray or any other guy for that matter can't compete with!"_

 _"Why would I still love Natsu? He abandoned me when I needed to talk to him the most!"_

 _"You love Natsu because he understands what it means to be in a relationship with you! He spent 2 years trying to figure everything out between the 2 of you."_

 _"Yea and things change over time! He obviously doesn't love me in the same way he once did."_

 _"That doesn't mean you can't still talk to him. Tell him how you feel and he might be able to figure things out between you two! Think about it. Natsu was the one to ask you out in the first place. He even told you that he was scared if you laughed at him or didn't feel the same way. How is this any different? Talk to him about how you feel about him and possibly rekindle your relationship with him! You never know why he just ran out and abandoned you. Maybe he wasn't ready to take your relationship with him to the next level and didn't want to hurt your feelings."_

 _"But… What if he doesn't want to rekindle our relationship?"_

 _"Then at least you know that you've given it everything you've got!"_ However, before she could finish debating with her conscious, a certain black haired mage began to continue from across the table.

"It actually turned out that Jellal kidnapped Erza only so he could use her to complete his lifelong dream of resurrecting Zeref." Gray Interrupted as he continued to retell one of his adventures.

Lisanna then realized that her conscious was right. The least she could do was talk to Natsu and take the situation into her own hands even though she was still certain that Natsu no longer loved her in the same way he once did. This caused Lisanna to force a slight smile as she finally came to a resolution that could give her something to work towards. However, deep within her there still was still a pang of uselessness and emotional pain because of Natsu's actions.

"If you're not interested right now or still feel emotional because of what Natsu did, I could just walk you home. It's already dark outside anyways." Gray stated as he noticed Lisanna's lack of attention.

"I'll be fine. I'm just not in the mood to really talk right now. I thought that talking would take my mind off Natsu bailing on me, but I guess it isn't otherwise you wouldn't be able to tell that I'm still not over Natsu." Lisanna frowned.

"I could just take you home then. Maybe you should sleep over it and we could pick right up from where we are tomorrow." Gray suggested.

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Of course I wouldn't mind. I'm on a break from completing a streak of quests with Team Natsu. It's been easier since Pyro hasn't been around lately to ruin the reward." This earned a snicker from Lisanna.

"All right then, we should probably get going before Mirajane starts freaking out over where I am." Lisanna said as she got up from her bench and pushed it in. However, before Gray could take this as a cue to lead Lisanna towards the Guild Hall's entrance, an ear shattering sound boomed through the guild.

 **"Shh- DOOM!"** The sound pierced through the Guild Hall. Immediately, everyone within it stopped their activities to see what made the noise. Team Natsu shot up from their table while Lisanna and Gray reflexively staggered backwards away from their seats. Towards the Guild Hall's entrance on the other side of where Lisanna and Gray were standing, the silhouette of a duo stood inside the doorway's arch.

"You see, at this point I don't understand what the purpose of those doors are for. It's not like they're ever actually used correctly." Macao sipped his ale out of relief as he realized the sound was caused by the guild's doors being flung open. Despite Macao who was relaxed, many other guild members including Team Natsu were ready to retaliate against a possible intruder ready to harm their guild. However, as the pair of silhouettes began to adjust to the light of the Guild Hall, the majority of the guild that was ready to retaliate began to ease as they realized who caused the unneeded tension.

"Gildarts?!" Master Makarov questioned out of surprise as he lowered his stance from the second floor. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be on your Century Quest!"

"That would be the case if it weren't for him." Gildarts finished as he threw Natsu from the darkness of the night into the guild.

" **NATSU?!"** The entire guild shrieked.

"Natsu, what is the meaning of this! Why are you with Gildarts of all people?" Makarov questioned as he jumped down to the ground level and positioned himself in front of the pair. Instead of a response, Natsu blankly stared at the ground out of embarrassment, guilt, weakness, shame, and a mix of other emotions.

"Go on." Gildarts ordered. "You already compromised my quest as is. There's no reason to take this conversation to a private location."

" **NATSU WHAT?!"** Makarov boomed. "Tell me what happened: either one of you!" A few seconds passed before Gildarts broke the silence.

"If Natsu won't bother telling you what happened, then I will."

Gildarts went on to retell the entire Fairy Tail Guild hall about his encounter with Acnologia and how he needed to the Akina Hills in order to complete the next step for his Century Quest. He then told the Guild Hall about Natsu intervening with his battle and nearly getting himself killed up until the point where Gildarts was forced to use _**Undermine**_ in order to save the pair from their deaths. At this point in the story, there was an endless supply of different reactions coming from the Guild Members.

Gajeel and Wendy were shocked that Natsu's **Dragon Slayer Magic** had no effect of Acnologia.

Others, such as Erza and Gray, were speechless that a dragon even attacked them in the first place. After all, dragons were the species to raise three of their guild members.

Lucy was trembling in fear that her first friend was on the verge on dying if it weren't for Gildarts saving him.

Master Makarov's eyes were widened in fear. All he could hope was that somehow the Century Quest was still recoverable.

Lisanna, on the other hand, was at a loss of words. _"Was this the reason that Natsu left me without saying anything?"_

However, before Gildarts could continue his explanation, Master Makarov interrupted. "Excuse me for interrupting Gildarts, but how did Natsu know that you needed help fighting Acnologia in the first place?"

"I heard him grunting in the Akina Hills so I thought he needed help." Natsu said his first words bluntly.

"You heard him from all the way down here in Magnolia?" Makarov questioned in awe.

"He claimed that it was because of his advanced hearing." Gildarts chimed in again.

"Wait… So the reason you left me was because you thought Gildarts needed help?" Lisanna questioned from across the room.

" _Lisanna, I was hoping that you didn't come to that conclusion…"_ Natsu muttered in his thoughts. "Long story short, yes, that's the reason why I left. I didn't leave for the reason you thought I did. I know it was a Split-Second decision. But I thought that if I didn't help Gildart's in time, he wouldn't be alive by the time I got there. I hope you're able to forgive and I'll be more than happy to go further in depth when we're in private." Natsu practically begged.

Lisanna instantly smiled brightly now that all doubt in her mind was cleared up. _"I knew I did the right thing by waiting until I talked to Natsu."_ However, she couldn't help but feel guilty that she somehow nearly betrayed Natsu's trust by jumping to the wrong conclusion.

Erza, on the other hand, cocked her eyebrow at Natsu's response. _"_ Something doesn't seem right about his response." She mouthed.

Before either could be left to their thoughts, Makarov continued. "Thank you for your clarification of your whereabouts in all of this, Natsu, but what happened after you used _**Undermine**_? _ **"**_ He pressed on as he directed his attention back to Gildarts.

"We had to wait until I was sure that Acnologia was gone. That's when I realized the severity of what happened. You see, before Acnologia used his final attack… He spoke to us." Seconds of silence passed throughout the guild before Gajeel leapt in front of Gildarts and grabbed him by his cloak's collar.

"DID HE SAY ANYTHING ABOUT METALICANA OR GRANDEENEY?!" Gajeel shouted.

"Easy there. Acnologia didn't say anything about… Metalicana or Grandeeney… Wait, who the hell are you anyways?" Gildarts said as he pushed the Dragon Slayer away.

"It's a long story." Master Makarov sighed. "Long story short, his name is Gajeel and he's one of our newest members. He's a Dragon Slayer like Natsu and his father, Metalicana, was a dragon."

"And since when did you care about Metallicana?" Lucy snickered. "Last time I checked you told Natsu that you're glad that the selfish bastard left."

"I AM glad he left! But that doesn't mean I can't beat the living shit out of him once I end up finding out where he is." Gajeel glared.

"Anyways, that's **NOT** the point." Gildart's boomed out of frustration which instantly diverted everyone back to the original topic.

"Yes, please continue Gildarts." Makarov agreed.

"Acnologia spoke to us and said that the only reason he didn't kill us to start off with was because he also came to the Akina Mountains for the same reason I did." This statement left Master Makarov trembling as he feared the worst.

"Did… Did he accomplish what he came to do?"

"If by that you mean completely destroying the mountain range, yes, he accomplished that." Gildarts whispered.

"But… Why would he do that considering you said that Acnologia came to the mountain range for the same reasons that you did."

"You piece it together master. When was the last time you've seen a dragon before? His existence is that of utmost secrecy. He even told me that himself. Acnologia grew impatient and nearly killed both Natsu and me while destroying the remnants of the Century Quest. I was planning to make an escape after I finished the part of the Century Quest I was on, but Natsu kept distracting me despite telling him countless times to leave. I would have been critically wounded as a result. I admit that Acnologia was completely out of my league, but as I told you before accepting this challenge, I was ready to place my life against the odds that I would complete it. That's something that all members of Fairy Tail should be ready to do." Gildarts finished as he dropped his head while clenching his fists.

Makarov couldn't believe it. "Natsu…? Is what Gildarts stated true?" The old Guild Master stared directly into Natsu's eyes.

"Yes." Natsu meekly replied as his head sank again.

Before Master Makarov could continue, however, Natsu heard heavy panting from the Guild's door. He slowly turned around to face the door only to be met with a small blue exceed slowly huffing his way into the light of the guild. As the exceed raised his small head, he gasped in relief and immediately flew into Natsu's chest and began to sob uncontrollably. "Natsu, you're okay!" he sobbed in relief that his father returned to the Fairy Tail Guild hall safely.

"Where have you been?! I told you to come back here immediately after you dropped me off towards the outer parts of the hill. I assumed that you were just sleeping somewhere in the guild or somewhere I couldn't see you!"

"I was coming back, but on the way here, I used up too much of my magic and had to walk the rest of the way back." Happy frowned. "Don't worry though. I'm not hurt, just tired.

"Wait… **YOU TOOK HAPPY WITH YOU** " Both Gildarts and Master Makarov boomed simultaneously causing Happy to separate himself from Natsu in order to back away from the scene.

"Natsu, you have done a lot of carless and reckless things over the years I've known you. However, this tops all of them by far. Despite Gildarts telling you to leave for your own safety, you decided to take the matter into your own hands and not only nearly got yourself killed, but have ended the Century Quest. Not only that, but it seems to me that you never even considered the risks of bringing your own son to accompany you on your decision."

"Gramps, I was just trying to…"

"No, you were being selfish! Did you ever take into account your own safety considering you never committed to the same rigor that Gildarts had when he adopted the Century Quest? I'm sorry Natsu, but as of now, that's the only way that I'm able to see the situation in front of us."

"Master, what are you suggesting? Whatever it is, please reconsider. I'm sure Natsu can explain." Lisanna pleaded as she began to comprehend the situation at hand.

"I'm sorry Lisanna, but this has crossed the line. There's no way that Natsu could possibly redeem himself from the reckless actions he had displayed today." Master Makarov stated with authority. He then proceeded to stare into Natsu's eyes again as he delivered the inevitable punishment.

"Natsu, your S-Class nomination has been invalidated. As of now, my decision is firm." The old guild master stated with authority. He gestured towards Gildarts as he turned around to head back into his office with him to discuss the outcome of the most recent event that unfolded.

* * *

Natsu didn't bother waiting for his Guildmates to react. He wouldn't be able to handle the embarrassment, shame, and truth concerning his potential. **"Shh- DOOM!"** The Fairy Tail Guild hall's doors resounded as he burst through the Guild's entrance only to collapse in tears towards the end of the Fairy Tail Court Yard. Although the entrance behind him sealed shut, he hoped that no one would come outside and witness the condition he was in as he succumbed to his emotions.

" _ **DAMNIT!**_ _"_ He roared in his mind. _"HOW DID I LET THIS HAPPEN?! ALL I WANTED WAS TO PROVE MY WORTH TO MY GUILD: TO SHOW THAT I COULD HANDLE MY OWN FOR ONCE. I KNEW IT WAS RISKY, BUT I HOPED GRAMPS WOULD AT LEAST LISTEN TO MY SIDE OF THE STORY. AND YET, I CAN'T EVEN SLAY A FUCKING DRAGON. THIS WAS MY CHANCE TO PROVE MY WORTH AND IT WENT WRONG IN EVERY WAY IT POSSIBLY COULD. I'M NO SON OF IGNEEL. I WAS EMBARASSED, HUMILIATED, AND NOW I CAN'T EVEN BECOME AN S-CLASS MAGE. ANY CHANCE OF REDEMPTION INVOLVING THAT IS USELESS!"_ He thought as he vented his anger by tugging at his hair. Before he could continue concluding what anyone would agree to be the unthinkable that Natsu could even fathom, his enhanced hearing picked something up from the guild hall which, for the time being, would change how he viewed his lack of magical potential.

"Master Makarov WAIT! If you're punishing the Natsu that I know… You'll have to punish every other member of Fairy Tail starting with me!" A voice rang from inside the guild.

" _Lisanna..."_ was the first thing that came to Natsu's mind.

* * *

As Master Makarov turned around to lead Gildarts back to his office, a deathly silence fell upon the Fairy Tail Guild hall. Although many of the Fairy Tail members were left completely speechless at the harsh spectacle that unfolded, a few silently agreed that this was the best course of action for Master Makarov to take which is why no one chased after Natsu. After all, he never seemed to learn his lesson from past events.

However, one guild member in particular didn't chase after the emotional Dragon Slayer for a different reason; she was going to defend him. "Master Makarov WAIT! If you're punishing the Natsu that I know for doing what was right… You'll have to punish every other member of Fairy Tail starting with me!" Lisanna boldly stated towards Master Makarov's back. Whether she was trying to make up for the guilt caused by jumping to the conclusion that Natsu abandoned her without purpose, the fact that she still loved him, or some combination of both, Lisanna was going to protect Natsu in the same way that she thought he protected Gildarts: even if she failed miserably like him.

Immediately, everyone in the Fairy Tail Guild hall darted their gazes to the white haired mage who made her way to Master Makarov's rear. Master Makarov stopped his beeline to his office with Gildarts, lifted his head, and turned around so his gaze was locked with Lisanna's.

"Perhaps I wasn't clear Lisanna. My decision is firm." He stated with such an alarmingly calm attitude that it made Lisanna flinch.

"With all due respect, Master, your decision might be firm, but that doesn't mean I agree with it." She retaliated with an equally alarming sense of calmness with each word.

" _Does she have a death wish?!"_ Became the new atmosphere of the guild. Master Makarov formed his lips to respond, but was interrupted before he could continue.

"Lisanna, stop this right now! I know that you love Natsu which makes you inclined to support him, but try viewing this from my perspective. Natsu ruined my entire life's work as an S-Class mage. He not only ignored my warning, but nearly got himself and Happy killed when this could have all been prevented." The man standing next to Makarov yelled.

"You might be right, Gildarts, I do love Natsu, so naturally I would be supportive of his actions, but that doesn't give Master Makarov the right to punish him for only trying to help a family member in need." However, instead of either Master Makarov of Gildarts forming a response, a third member decided to chime into the event unfolding.

"I'm not trying to support sides Lisanna, but something like this has happened before during the last few months you spent on Edolas." Gray stated from the other side of the guild.

"Grays right Lisanna. I was with him when it happened. I thought that Natsu learned his lesson after I saw how Master Makarov punished him by not allowing him to eat at the bar for a month, but even that wasn't enough." Lucy agreed with Gray in a somber tone. "Natsu was my first friend and I'm pretty sure that I know him better than anyone else. He let his reckless nature get the better of him the same as the last time this happened."

"I'm assuming you both referred to Galuna Island? Natsu told me the entire story when we first started dating. And I'm assuming it was Natsu who stood up to Ezra by holding her sword to his Fairy Tail guild mark to show how much he was willing to complete the mission? No. It was you, Gray. Let's not forget that you were putting your very own life on the line so long as it meant that you saved the village being influenced by that curse on the island. If you ask me, the way you stood up to Ezra in order to protect that village in need is similar to how Natsu protected Gildarts. The fact is, even if you never stood up for what you believed was right at the time, I wouldn't need to know about the Galuna Island incident to know that Natsu is the most kindhearted and strong-willed member in our guild." Lisanna finished directing her attention towards Gray before facing Lucy. "And if you knew anything about Natsu at all, Lucy, you would know that those are the reasons he chooses to be so reckless." She scoffed towards the blonde mage. "Master Makarov," Lisanna refocused her attention to the Guild Master in front of her, "What you're doing now is punishing Natsu for possibly saving Gildart's life- whether his Century Quest was compromised or not!" She declared with confidence.

At this point in Lisanna's statement, a couple of the guild members even started to raise their eyebrows at how intrigued they were at the white haired girl's argument.

"Edolas-girl is right. If nothing else, try viewing this from how Natsu did. The last time any of us has seen a dragon was 7 years ago, which is about the time Igneel, Metalicana, and Grandeeney vanished. 7 years later one shows up and you expect him to ignore even the slightest chance of him finding his father? And can you blame him for ignoring Gildart's orders? He's a goddamn Dragon Slayer. If Gildarts couldn't defeat Acnologia, I would sure as hell bet Natsu could have. Even when Natsu found out this monster was out of his league, if either me or Wendy were there, we wouldn't give up until Gildarts was safe or we died trying to protect him."

"You really believe that Gajeel? If Natsu's attacks couldn't hurt that dragon, then what makes you think I could have?" Wendy shyly stated across from her Dragon Slayer companion.

"You sell yourself short Shrimp. The brute force that Salamander and I have outclasses yours by a landslide, I'm not going to sit here and lie to you about that. But you sure as hell have a much more compassionate heart than I do. Not only that, but just because you're not powerful doesn't mean that you're willing to let your comrades die. I have no doubt in my mind that even if you couldn't put a dent in Acnologia, you would be at Gildart's side the entire time healing him with your support magic."

"Gajeel… Do you mean all that?" Lisanna questioned as she couldn't believe that Gajeel was supporting him.

"Why wouldn't I? Don't think this puts Salamander and me on good terms though. I'm only stating what I thought should be obvious to all of us." Gajeel shrugged. "Now try to keep it down. I'm going back to bed." He finished as he lowered his head.

"Happy, we're going to talk later about how Natsu found out about Gray standing up to me on Galuna Island." Erza glared at the small exceed who flew into Lisanna's hair out of fear. "But for now, something has been bothering me ever since Natsu claimed that the only reason he came to Gildart's aid was because Natsu assumed that he needed help. Regardless of how arrogant and reckless Natsu can be at times, he should know well by now what Gildarts signed up for when accepting his quest. Hell, even Gildarts himself admitted that before Master Makarov punished Natsu. The fact that no one else in the recorded history of magic has completed the Century Quest should represent the magnitude of accepting it and the severity of intervening. It made me wonder, even for a split second at the time, were Natsu's intentions really to save Gildarts?"

Lisanna was shocked at Erza's response to say the least. In fact, she couldn't help but feel offended at the indirect accusation that Erza threw at Natsu. Lisanna briskly replied, "How can you even say that Erza? After the countless times Natsu has saved Fairy Tail from destruction you still refuse to believe that he wouldn't put his actions towards a selfless act such as protecting Gildarts? Master Makarov and even Gajeel of all people said it themselves: Fairy Tail mages fight for their Nakama in order to protect them. Or was what you learned from the Tower of Heaven mean nothing to you?"

Erza's eyes widened at this response. She was not expecting Lisanna to reference the Tower of Heaven to say the least. "What- What are you implying?" She managed to utter.

"You shouldn't die for your friends, but live for them, because the future without them wouldn't be as happy if they weren't in it! Does that ring a bell by any chance?" She replied.

At this point in Lisanna's argument, a deathly silence fell over the guild as the members who supported Master Makarov's decision had no argument to respond with. As much as Master Makarov and Gildarts agreed that Natsu's actions deserved discipline, Lisanna's argument made that morally impossible. _"Fairy Tail members protect their Nakama in need."_ They thought. That was all that needed to be said. By punishing Natsu, they would have to punish Gray, Erza, Gajeel, Wendy and any other Fairy Tail member who put their lives on the line for the guild.

* * *

"Lisanna…" Natsu whispered as tears of happiness, disbelief, and guilt began dripping down his face as he overheard her. "You stood up for me even though I abandoned you for my own selfish reasons when you needed me the most. Fairy Tail mages do help each other in need like you implied, but the fact that I abandoned you for a reason that contradicts how you vouched for me made me realize how selfish I've been all this time. I may never be able to prove my worth as a mage or slay a dragon. Hell, Gramps isn't going to change his mind about my S-Class nomination either. But at least I know you'll support my decisions every step of the way. And I can start by repaying something I should have done earlier today."

With that, Natsu stood up and regained his composer by dusting off the grass and dirt that became caught in his attire during his emotional breakdown. He then exited the Fairy Tail Guild hall grounds with a new destination in mind. As the night began to set in, Natsu's hopes of telling Lisanna about his negative thoughts coupled with a well-deserved apology served as the seemingly perfect solution to his problem concerning his magical potential… For the time being.

* * *

Minutes of complete silence went by as Master Makarov stood there in front of the guild. Many of the guild members who originally supported Master Makarov's decision silently began to change their minds.

"Lisanna, perhaps you make a notable case. You are correct in that Natsu was helping a family member in need even though he compromised Gildart's Century Quest. The Fairy Tail guild hall was founded on the belief that we always help others in need. Do fairies really have tails? Do they even exist… Like them, each one of our destines is a mystery… A never-ending adventure. As members of Fairy Tail, we all act on the behalf of others and out of selflessness." Master Makarov stated before directing his attention to the small exceed bundled in Lisanna's hair. "Happy, Natsu endangered you the most. If you had any doubt concerning your overall safety, please tell me."

"It was my decision whether or not I wanted to listen to Natsu. If listening to him meant saving Gildart's life, I was going to go with Natsu up until he said he didn't need my help or until I couldn't stand to fight."

Master Makarov nodded before stating, "Then if Happy agrees with Lisanna and is comfortable with the outcome of Gildart's Century Quest, then according to the belief of what the Fairy Tail Guild hall was founded on, Natsu does not deserve the punishment he received from me today. I will revalidate his S-Class exam participation."

Upon hearing this, the majority of the Fairy Tail guild hall roared in approval as another notorious party began to rage through the night. Hell, even Gildarts put on a small smirk. "I guess I should be thankful for the pink haired idiot pissing off Acnologia to the point where he used an attack that provided me to cover our escape. Lisanna's right. If it weren't for him, I'd probably be dead by now. Don't expect me to be on good terms with Natsu for some time though. I still have to find a whole new purpose in life." Gildarts sighed towards Master Makarov.

"And you will." The short master smiled up to Gildarts while reaching out to pat his shoulder.

Other guild members, such as Erza, still weren't satisfied by Lisanna's argument. _"What are you up to Natsu?"_ She questioned to herself as she sat down at the bar still suspicious of his intentions.

Back in the middle of the guild hall, Lisanna was still shocked from the outcome. _"I… I can't believe did it! Even after Master's decision was firm, I was still able to get Natsu's S-Class nomination back!"_ She eventually comprehended in her thoughts. "Thank you so much master!" Lisanna cried tears of joy as she ran up to Makarov and squeezed the short man against her cleavage.

" _Maybe I'll have to punish Natsu more often!"_ He thought in lust before he was let down. "Onto more important matters, Lisanna, you should go find the young lad. You wouldn't want him to get the impression that you abandoned him when he ran out of the guild

"Yes sir!" She declared before bolting out of the guild into the darkness in order to find the pink haired slayer. _"No more misunderstandings. Natsu is going to want to marry me after he finds out what happened! Not only that, but he deserves an apology if nothing else."_

* * *

The Magnolia street lamps slowly began to turn on as the night settled in. The town's lively commerce had long died down save for a couple of late night strollers enjoying the summer breeze and the peaceful scenery. As Natsu observed the shops around him, he began to get worried as many of the shop owners began to lock their front doors and close for the night. Natsu knew the entire Magnolia Town charter like the back of his hand, but when it came to what he was currently looking for, he was absolutely clueless. Natsu was hoping he could at least find a decent shop still opened that had what he was looking for.

"Hey, excuse me!" Natsu politely said towards an elderly couple coming his way.

"Can we help you, young man?" The woman straightened her hunched back and smiled up at him.

"I was wondering if you knew of any good jewelry stores still opened at this time."

"Oh! Who's the lucky lady? This IS for a pretty girl, isn't it?" The elderly husband separated himself from his wife and nudged Natsu's arm.

"Pay no mind to him. The last time he was in a jewelry store was 65 years ago."

"65 years ago?!" Natsu gaped in astonishment.

"Yessir. That was around the time I bought my now wife a ring to propose with." The man chimed in again.

"Do you know anything about jewelry my dear?" The woman asked Natsu.

"Nothing at all. I know this town like the back of my hand, but when it comes to accessories and clothing, I could care less." Natsu sighed in disappointment.

"So you don't know anything about purchasing jewelry?"

"Not a clue.

"You have to at least know your price range."

"Money isn't an object." Natsu stated with full seriousness.

"My word young man! Then you must be earning some income." The old man responded instead of his wife.

"Anyways," The old woman sighed at her husband's antics, "If that's the case, then you should visit my granddaughter's parlor on the outskirts of town. At the very least, I wouldn't recommend shopping at any big retailer brands. They're more inclined to take advantage of you considering how little you know about jewelry."

"So what types of jewelry does your granddaughter sell?"

"She sells all types. However, she's actually a mage which means she has time to scour Fiore for the most sought after, diamonds, minerals, and metals. She uses whatever spare time she has at home to craft and forge them into products that she can sell. In fact, she even encourages some of her customers to create their own jewelry from scratch using materials that mages might have picked up on their journey. I didn't recommend her to begin with because of how steep the pricing is." The old woman continued

"That sounds just like what I've been looking for." Natsu sighed in relief.

"I'm assuming by that Guild Mark you're a member of the Fairy Tail Guild?" The old man took into account Natsu's red insignia on his upper right shoulder.

"Considering the most recent problems that I have been facing, I could hardly say that if I'm being completely honest." Natsu said with a sadden frown as he remembered his lack of potential, being unable to slay a dragon, and ultimately being denied nomination for the S-Class examination.

"If you're buying jewelry for this loved one of yours, you should share the problems that you're currently facing with her!" The old man continued.

"That's exactly the reason why I'm going jewelry shopping right now. I might never be able to solve my problems on my own, but at least I'll have her every step of the way. That's something she should know, and I plan on using this as a way to overcome what I've been facing!" Natsu began to smile again as he was reminded of the reason for going jewelry shopping.

"I couldn't agree more." The old woman replied. "If you take an immediate left after coming out from your guild's courtyard, my granddaughter's parlor is located beneath that raised plateau leading up to the outskirts of Magnolia's forest. Since we're already on the outskirts of the town, If you continue down this road all the way to its end, my granddaughters parlor should be in your sights."

"No kidding! That's a 5-minute walk from where I live." Natsu smiled.

"All the more reason to support her business." The old woman returned the smile. "And feel free to take your time walking over there. She doesn't close the parlor until 10:00 PM."

"Thanks so much! I'll be sure to tell you granddaughter that you recommended her for me!" Natsu bowed before bolting in the direction of his house. He began to backpedal as he yelled towards them, "By the way, my name is Natsu!"

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Natsu." The couple yelled back in unison with a small wave before continuing their late-night stroll.

Natsu raced down the cobblestone outskirt of Magnolia Town towards the plateau his house resided on. After traversing the waterway bridge linking the central components to the outer components of the town, passing multiple houses along the seemingly endless road, and dodging the occasional pedestrian, Natsu found himself in the middle of a cul de sac directly beneath the plateau that housed the forest around his house. He turned to his left where he could clearly see the structure of the Fairy Tail Guild hall peering through the semicircle of buildings which confirmed he was in the right location. He continued to scan the area for his destination until his eyes rested upon a parlor directly in front of him that caught his attention. "Alyssa's Jewelry: Forging the path to Adventurer, " the small sign outside read. The parlor's exterior was small, quiet, and reserved just like the rest on Magnolia town.

"I guess this is it. That couple did tell me that she explores in her free time." Natsu said as he went up to the wooden front door and entered the small parlor.

" **Ding-Ding!** " The sound of a bell resonated.

"I'll be right with you!" A feminine voice rang. Natsu proceeded took a seat against the wall closest to the front counter. At the time of his visit, no other customers were present most likely because of the inconvenient time he entered the parlor. Around 30 seconds later, a beautiful blonde haired woman with large yet sharp Tsurime olive colored eyes briskly walked to the front counter to meet her customer.

Natsu immediately noticed that the woman's hair was tied into a ponytail and that she was wearing a leather blacksmiths apron that hid a large portion of her figure. Her sharp eyes were slightly obscured by the pair of goggles she was wearing. Her arms and legs were quite skinny although not nearly to the point where Natsu considered her unattractive or malnourished. In fact, Natsu was impressed at how well it complemented her in contrast to her stunning facial features. Speaking of facial features, the last one that Natsu noted was her extremely well rounded and defined jawline.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting!" The girl apologized in a peppy tone as Natsu approached the counter. "Let me introduce myself in a more casual manner." She offered as she began to untie her pony tail, remove her goggles, and set aside her apron to reveal brown baggy cargo pants complemented by a pair of black boots and a t-shirt. The woman then opened the counter's door before stepping out in front of Natsu and holding out her hand. "The name's Alyssa Robbin! Thanks for stopping by!" She said in a cheery attitude.

"I'm Natsu! Natsu Dragneel." The Dragon Slayer returned the handshake with a toothy grin.

"Natsu, eh? By that mark on your right arm I'd say you're a member of the Fairy Tail Guild?" She questioned.

"You bet I am!" He replied with a flared-up attitude. "I actually came here today because I was hoping to purchase a piece of jewelry for my girlfriend."

"Then you've come to the right place. Any occasion?" Alyssa continued.

"Well… She made me realize something about myself that I wouldn't have been able to without her help. I wanted to repay the favor and owe her an apology to make up for something that she was going to do. You see, we've been dating for some time now and she wanted to take our relationship to the next level. Long story short, I was selfish and chose to put it off until later as I thought there was something more important that I had to do."

"Was the thing you had to do more important?" Alyssa pressed.

"Yes and no. I ended up doing something that she was proud of me for, but that wasn't the reason for why I abandoned which is why I feel the need to apologize."

"Natsu, I know I'm getting personal, but how much do you love her?" Alyssa lost her peppy personality and grew serious.

"She's the one. That's why I need to apologize and follow through with what she was implying."

"Let me get this straight. The person you love wanted to take her relationship with you to the next level, you thought that you had to do something else important, and now you regret your decision and want to make it up to her?" Alyssa asked regaining some of her energetic tone as she began to comprehend the situation.

"You make that sound much better than it is." Natsu meekly smiled.

"Because I can tell you regret your decision and want to make it up to her. I'm assuming what your girlfriend was implying was...?"

"Marriage. I want to marry her." Natsu warmly smiled at Alyssa.

"I knew it!" Alyssa beamed. "So, you're here for an engagement ring?"

"I am, but I wanted it to be special which is why I'm here. And don't worry about the pricing; Money is not an object." Natsu said.

"Well you sure as hell came to the right place if money isn't an object. The best way that I can help is if you start by telling me a bit of history between you two. Like what made you ask her out in the first place?"

"Please, feel free to call her Lisanna."

"Alright, what made you fall in love with Lisanna?"

"It was the day I realized she never died." Natsu smiled out of gratitude causing Alyssa to gasp out of shock.

"Natsu, I had no idea." She looked way in guilt from pressing the subject.

"Don't worry about. All that matters is that I can be with her."

"Care to elaborate?"

"I will under the condition you tell no one else. Only two other people know about this. One is Lisanna, the other is a mage in my guild. Her name is Erza."

"Erza? Never heard of her. I live all the way out here for a reason. No offence, but when my family first moved here, we were warned that if wanted any sort of peace and quiet, don't live anywhere near the Fairy Tail Guild hall."

"Sounds about right." Natsu laughed.

"And you don't have to worry about me telling anyone else. What you say in here stays in here. I ask this of all my customers as it helps me to visualize what I'm creating."

"Thanks for respecting that." Natsu smiled. "The history between us is long so we might as well sit down."

"Better yet, come back with me into the workshop! I can start picking out the metals and materials to forge your ring out of according to your guys relationship."

"Sounds great." Natsu added as Alyssa opened the counter's door for him. "But how is me telling you our history going to help you make a ring."

"You'll just have to wait and see!" Alyssa turned around to wink at him as she walked towards a large cabinet located at the end of her workshop.

"Anyways, our history began when I first joined Fairy Tail…" Natsu began. He then went on to tell her about the day he joined Fairy Tail and how he argued with Master Makarov as to whether he should have the right to leave and search for his lost father by himself. Lisanna was the one who ultimately convinced him to stay in Fairy Tail and even helped him raise his adopted son, Happy. He told Alyssa that the first thing he did as a member was accept a job request as it would give him the chance to find his father, Igneel. When he ended up telling the Fairy Tail Guild hall that his father, Igneel, was King of the Fire Dragons, Lisanna was the only one to believe in the existence of his father and **Fire Dragon Slayer Magic**.

"Wait, no joke?! You were raised by a dragon?!" Alyssa turned her head from the cabinet's contents in order to interrupt Natsu's story. He responded by extending his fist to show Alyssa the magic circle that formed at the knuckles. In the middle of the circle was the outline of a red dragon that dissipated as his entire fist became ignited in fire. "That's perfect! Believe it or not, I think I know a good starting point for your ring." Alyssa smirked as she lead Natsu to another cabinet. "Please continue!" She almost begged at how intriguing Natsu's love life was. It reminded Alyssa of her own journeys scouring Fiore for materials to create jewelry out of.

Natsu continued to tell Alyssa that as he grew older, he started to act differently around Lisanna. His heart would beat faster around her, he would have trouble speaking to her for extended periods of time, and he even got jealous when she would hang out with other guys at the guild. He ended up telling Erza about how his body acted differently around Lisanna and how he found out that it was love that made him feel the way he did. However, before he could tell Lisanna that he loved her, she passed away on the S-Class mission she went on with Mirajane. He then told Alyssa about how Erza helped him move past Lisanna's death by relating to him, although he never truly got over his love for her.

"Natsu, I don't know what to say." Alyssa interrupted softly as she momentarily stopped rummaging. "I've never experienced death first hand so I can't even begin to relate with you."

"Don't worry about it. Besides, it gets better. Otherwise I wouldn't be here!" Natsu exclaimed with a toothy grin.

"Of course, how could I forget." She returned the smile. A couple seconds later, she continued. "You know what? I think I've found it!" Alyssa exclaimed as she reached into the cabinet for the material she was going to use for Natsu's ring. "Turn around! No peeking!" She snapped at him before pulling her hand out of the cabinet revealing the gemstone she planned on using in her hand. "Perfect!" She chirped as she put the stone in her cargo pants pocket. "Okay, you can turn back around now." She instructed Natsu. As he began to face her once again, Alyssa gestured politely towards the pink haired slayer that he could continue his story.

"Hmm…" Natsu frowned to himself.

"What is it?" Alyssa questioned as she continued searching for the remaining materials from around her workshop.

"The thing is, at the time of me realizing that Lisanna had been alive, a lot of stuff, and I mean A LOT of stuff happened between the time where I thought she died and 2 years later when I realized she didn't to the point where most of the background won't make much sense." Natsu frowned. "I'd have to explain to you pretty much every adventure that I've been on for you to understand who the hell most of the people with me are."

"Will I understand the reason as to why you love her even if you didn't explain?"

"It'll make you understand how she felt about me ever since I met her.'

"Then that's perfectly fine! I already have a pretty good grasp at what she means to you at this point, so just tell me how you confessed to her and you can always continue telling me about your adventures some other time." Alyssa offered.

"You're really interested in my stories?" Natsu asked.

"Of course I'm interested! And they're not stories, Natsu, they're adventures, and I believe every single one that you've told me considering I'm an adventurer myself." She said proudly. "Anyways, sorry for interrupting… Again. You can continue."

"It's no problem at all. You're only trying to help me after all. I confessed to Lisanna the second that the rest of Fairy Tail realized that she wasn't dead after all." Natsu continued by telling Alyssa about how he and his closest friends were sucked into an entire different realm known as Edolas. He went on to describe how Edolas is a parallel world to Earthland where everybody has a human counterpart. 6 days later from when they entered Edolas, they were able to prevent an evil king from nearly throwing the realm into chaos and learn about his exceed that Lisanna raised with him. "This was the day that I confessed my feelings to her…" Natsu reminisced.

* * *

Scene Change – X784 (Same Year), Magnolia Forest

"Alright so Gajeel now has Panther Lily, Happy and Carla were never trying to kill us to begin with, and we stopped Edolas from being overthrown by a king. Let's go home." Natsu huffed as he began to walk through the rainy Magnolia Forest back towards Fairy Tail. The entire 6 day adventure inside of Edolas had been exhausting to say the least although Natsu must made them sound like no big feat. However, it didn't help the pink haired dragon slayer that he wasn't given the time to tell Lisanna how he felt about her when they met again in Edolas, similar to before she left on her S-Class quest with Mirajane. Thankfully, he constantly trained in the Magnolia Forest that outlined his house's field which meant that he at least knew the quickest route back to Fairy Tail. The faster the guild hall could get his mind off Edolas, the faster he would be able to get his mind off Lisanna.

"Wait, hold on Natsu!" Pantherlily called as he freed himself from Gajeel's grip before the pink haired slayer walked out of earshot. "I found a suspicious person lurking around while Queen Shagotte was explaining the reason why she had to send exceed eggs to earth." He finished as he walked over to some nearby bushes with rustling coming from them. Natsu immediately stopped his trek back to the Fairy Tail Guild hall as he was interested in whoever Panther Lily found.

"Hey that hurts!" A feminine voice shouted over the pouring rain as Pantherlily dragged a white haired girl away from the bushes. She was wearing a blue tank top with crossed straps that complemented a long skirt that went passed her knees. Her attire was finished with a pair of white sandals. On her upper left thigh Natsu could visibly see a white Fairy Tail Guild mark that wasn't covered by her skirt. As he began to stare into the girl's enticing blue eyes, there was only one word that came to Natsu's mind.

" _Lisanna."_ He thought as his eyes widened in disbelief. He wanted to run to her and embrace her, but couldn't bring himself to. The shock of his lover before him who he thought would never get the chance to confess to weighed him down completely. Instead, Lisanna freed herself from Panther Lily's grip and ran over to Natsu and tackled him, throwing the both of them into a mud puddle right behind where Natsu was standing. Natsu was finally able to compose himself enough to stutter, "Lisanna, is- is it you?" He said as tears of happiness began to well up in his eyes as he sat in the mud with her on top of him.

"It's me Natsu." She reassured him in their embrace.

"Lisanna, I'm not waiting any longer. Not like last time and not like in Edolas when I thought I lost you again when we left." Natsu said as he separated himself from the girl who stole his heart. As he stared into her soft blue eyes, he didn't care if Gajeel, Wendy, Lucy, Gray, Happy, Carla and Panther Lily were all about to hear one of his most personal secrets. The only thing that mattered was Lisanna knowing how he felt.

"Natsu…?" Lisanna questioned out of curiousness.

"Lisanna," Natsu began as his heart began to throb, "My heart begins to speed up when I'm around you. It feels like all I want to do is protect you and make sure that you're safe and that nothing can hurt you. I first noticed you caring nature when we found Happy's egg in Magnolia Forest because you were the only one who wanted to help me take care of it. You were the person who convinced me to join Fairy Tail and for some reason I get mad and jealous when other guys are around you. You mean more to me than anyone could ever know. Lisanna… **I LOVE YOU!** " Natsu roared the last part over the rain that barraged their bodies.

The endless onslaught of rain drops was all that could be heard. The entire Edolas group was speechless except for Erza as she expected this to happen once she confirmed that Earthland Lisanna was still alive. Lisanna remained on top of Natsu as she took in the time to process the words she always had hoped to hear from her childhood friend.

"Lis… Lisanna?" Natsu said with sadness as he felt his heart began to sink. "I'm sorry. I knew that what I thought was stupid. Just prom- promise that you won't laugh at-" Before he could continue, however, Lisanna's lips crashed into his as they rolled onto their sides into the mud embracing each other as if they would soon be separated again. The entire time Natsu's warm body and lips kept hers warm and comfortable from the harsh rainfall that drenched their bodies. He returned Lisanna's kiss with the same passion he had stored within him for the last 2 years: the type of passion that was raging to complete the inevitable. It didn't matter to either of them that the entire Edolas group was watching in awe or that they were soaking in mud, all that mattered was they had each other.

Lisanna, to Natsu's slight dismay, was the first to break the kiss only to reaffirm her emotions. "Natsu, for the past 2 years I wanted to see you every day. When the Anima here on earth transported me to Edolas in order to replace the Lisanna there that died, I thought that I would never see the Natsu Dragneel that I fell in love with again."

"Then… Then why didn't you just tell me when I first saw you in Edolas? Or- Or why didn't you just tell me 2 years ago before… Before you ended up… Ended up…" Natsu began to tear up in confusion and emotional pain as he sought answers.

"I wanted to tell you how I felt every day of my existence Natsu. But I never bothered because I didn't think you would have thought of me in the same way." Lisanna slowly began to shed tears of regret. "I always thought that I would only be your friend and nothing else. If I knew that wasn't true sooner, then I would have accepted my feelings for you instead of trying to shove them away. Natsu, the truth is… **I LOVE YOU!** " She reciprocated his feelings as she broke down in his arms.

The Fairy Tail members present at the time could only watch as an endless amount of emotions flooded them. Lucy fainted into Wendy's arms at the most romantic scene she had ever witnessed up until that point. Gray, on the other hand, was jealous beyond belief as denial washed over him. " _THERE'S NO WAY THAT PYRO GOT A GIRLFRIEND BEFORE ME!"_ He yelled in his thoughts as he tried to figure out where he went wrong in his love life. Gajeel was too busy embracing his new exceed to even give a damn about the wave of emotions washing over his guild mates.

All the while Erza stood back next to the Magnolia Forest tree line crying tears of joy and thought to herself with a smile plastered across her face. " _Tell her every word."_ Erza recounted what she told Natsu those 2 years ago.

* * *

Scene Change – Present Day Time

Alyssa had long since found the materials needed to forge Natus's engagement ring. At this point, she even had tear stains that had dried up on her soft cheeks. However, Natsu wasn't yet finished. "When Lisanna returned from Edolas, I realized how much she meant to me. I never wanted to lose her again as I cherished her too much to see her leave me again. That's why I still love her and need to apologize for how I must made her feel when I abandoned her. She might think that because I abandoned her, similar to how I regret her being killed on her S-Class quest, I don't love her in the same way I did." Natsu sighed in regret. What he wasn't expecting was Alyssa to shove the remaining materials in her cargo pants pockets to approach him and hold him in an embrace.

"You're only huh- human." She hiccupped. "If you still love Lisanna with even the fraction of what you had when you confessed to her, then you should have no worries about her not accepting your apology. It's obvious that she means the world to you and you would go to any lengths to protect her as you told her when you confessed your love. As long as you believe that and admit that what you did was wrong and strive to improve from that, then you have no reason at all to beat yourself over what you could have done differently." She finished as she let go of Natsu.

"Thank you for listening." Natsu smiled as he realized Alyssa came to the purpose of him being here. "That's actually the exact reason I'm here today. I want to improve from the reason I made the mistake I did by asking for Lisanna's help to overcome what I've been facing as of lately. I told you when I first met you that my mistake was out of selfishness and wanted to apologize to Lisanna for making her feel worthless. Because at the end of the day, I want her to be with me every step of the way as I overcome the problems that I face. "

"No, thank YOU for sharing such a beautiful adventure." Alyssa bowed. "I'm assuming the mistake you did was the specific reason for you abandoning Lisanna when she wanted to take your relationship with her to the next level, but I can see you're not comfortable with sharing any more than you already have. Anyways!" She clapped her hands together which instantly altered her mood back to her original peppy personality. "If you plan on staying in the workshop to watch me forge your ring, safety comes first." She finished as she bolted to the wall opposite of them. When she came back, she held out a blacksmith apron and pair of goggles similar to the one she wore before she introduced herself to Natsu. "While you put these on, I'm going to begin cutting the gem I chose. If you're up for it, you can begin melting down." She said as she handed Natsu a grayish piece of metal. "Go over to that furnace over there and place the metal I just gave you into one of those crucibles next to it. You can then just place the crucible into the furnace." Natsu did as instructed and placed the piece of metal into a ceramic pot. He then proceeded to place the crucible into the furnace's opening. "So now what!" He called out to Alyssa who had taken a seat to the other side of the workshop.

With her back still facing Natsu, she called out to him. "There's a door right beneath the opening of the furnace. Open that, and just ignite a fire inside of it."

"How do you want me to light the fire?" Natsu asked completely oblivious to his magic.

"You're a Fire Dragon Slayer, aren't you? Feel free to get creative and raise the heat! Just don't burn down my workshop." Alyssa said sheepishly as she began to examine something in her hands.

"Whatever you say." Natsu said. "What will you be doing in the meantime?"

"I'm cutting the gem that's going to be used!" She chirped.

Satisfied with this answer, Natsu knelt and opened the hatch below the furnace before inhaling a sizeable amount of air. " _ **Fire Dragon Roar!**_ " He raised his voice before unleashing a stream of flames that covered the entire inside of the furnace. He immediately shut the hatch before his flames could pour out into the workshop. Soon after, the metal within the crucible slowly began to dissipate into a molten material.

"Thanks for your help Natsu! If you want to go back out and take a seat, I'll be done cutting the gem in a couple of minutes." Alyssa stated as she cycled through her monocle which had different levels of magnification.

"I don't mind staying in here. I was actually interested in how long you've owned your workshop." Natsu said as he took a seat by the furnace.

"As long as you don't sneak peeks at what I'm working on, stay as long as you like! But I've been working with jewelry for 5 years now. When I was 17, I opened this parlor right here as I was able to work a job that gave me the opportunity to do what I love which is adventuring!" Alyssa beamed. "That's why I'm so energetic all the time if you've been wondering. Every day I look forward to another adventure." She turned her head to smile at Natsu's back.

"There's nothing wrong with being energetic and positive. Those are just qualities that define you." Natsu turned to smile back at her before he turned back around. "Anyways, does the magic you use help with forging jewelry?"

"I don't recall telling you I was a mage." Alyssa laughed from behind. "And yes, my magic does help me at times." She finished as she tended to the gem in front of her.

"I can't believe I forgot! Your grandparents were the ones to recommend your business to me. They're extremely friendly people!" Natsu facepalmed.

"Was one of them an older man who cracked jokes and teased you?"

"Now that you mention it, yes, there was an older guy who did that." Natsu said as he recalled earlier in the night.

"Sounds like you met the right people!" Alyssa chuckled. "Anyways, the magic I use is called **Thermodynamic Magic**."

"Thermo-who? Just tell me what it does." Natsu huffed at his inability to pronounce the word.

"You see that crucible sitting next to the furnace? The one with a top screwed on it?"

"What of it?" Natsu asked.

" _ **Thermal equilibrium."**_ Alyssa stated with a startling even , the air around Natsu began to turn a deathly cold as the crucible began to glow a molten orange. After a couple of seconds, the entire pot exploded as blistering hot shrapnel flew into the direction of the closest wall.

"What the hell was that!?" Natsu said as he jumped out of his seat causing Alyssa to burst out laughing.

"My magic allows me to directly control energy which regulates heat transfer. All I did was transfer the energy from the surrounding air to the crucible. As the energy of the crucible's exterior increased, the energy of the air inside the crucible also increased as it was in contact with the inner wall. The pressure ended up building until the crucible exploded." Alyssa stated without hesitation. However, Natsu simply sat there with drool coming down his face.

"I didn't understand a word you just said, but that was cool!" Natsu pumped his fists in the air.

"Thanks?" Alyssa said with confusion. "Anyways, it has its uses although it takes a fair amount of prediction and understanding to be used correctly. I use it in my workshop to help cut stones in the fraction of time it takes a regular jeweler to. I also use my magic for increasing the heat in the furnace when need be. As far as I know, I'm the only mage with this sort of capability." She beamed.

"We'll totally have to have a battle some time!" Natsu suggested

"Maybe…" Alyssa meekly smiled. Natsu was about to ask if Alyssa was in a guild and even recommend that she joined Fairy Tail if she wasn't, but before he could, Alyssa interrupted his train of thought as she took off her monocle. "I hate to do this to you Natsu, but I need you to sit out front while I finish up in here. I don't want to spoil the final product. All I have to do is forge that molten metal inside of the furnace into a ring and position the gem. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes." Alyssa reassured him.

"Sure thing." Natsu said as he took off the blacksmith apron and pair of goggles he was wearing and placed them on the opposite wall rack. He proceeded to exit through the front of the workshop, open the counter's door, and take his original seat next to the front desk. The entire time Natsu waited he could hear the pouring of molten metal, clanging of metal coming in contact with an anvil, and a sharp hissing noise caused by the hot metal meeting water. The last thing he heard was rummaging coming from one of her cabinets before Alyssa appeared from her workshop with her hands behind her back. Natsu immediately stood up from his chair and approached her as she opened the counter's door with her boot.

"Well? Is it done?" Natsu asked anxiously as he couldn't wait any longer to see the final product. Alyssa simply smiled brightly as her hands came from behind her back to reveal a simple yet soft blood velvet engagement ring box. She carefully opened the box to reveal a black interior with a metallic gray ring sitting in the middle. The ring had a simple design up until it crisscrossed to meet the stone that was embedded on top of it. The gem was perfectly cut and had a blood red hue with a golden flame flickering inside of it.

"The theme of the ring is from my heart to yours. You said Lisanna never wants you to leave again and you'll do anything to protect her, so I picked this gem with these golden flames in the middle to symbolize a part of you that will be with her at all times."

Natsu's eyes simply widened as he formed the only response he could. "Alyssa, it's beautiful." He said as he examined the ring.

"There's actually history behind this stone in the middle of it. Have you ever heard of Rebuke?"

"Do you mean Flames of Rebuke?" Natsu asked.

"Kind of. Long story short, this is one of her flames encased in the gemstone I used. Don't ask how it's still lit or how it even got here in the first place, but it's been this way ever since I found it, so I wouldn't expect for it to go out any time soon. As for the ring itself…" Alyssa stated proud of her work. "950 Platinum with a 5% Titanium Alloy. You said she's a mage, so the Titanium Alloy will resist pretty much anything that she has to go up against. I had to use my magic to fuse the mixture together. As for the gem…" She inhaled before continuing. "It's Ruby. The Ruby I used in your ring is 30 carats. That's roughly 6 grams which doesn't seem like much in general, but in the world of gems, is an unfathomable amount. Considering the blood red tone quality of the gem, the way I cut it, the perfect transparency that lets you see the golden flames, and the near perfect clarity, this would be something that would be given to the Princess of Fiore." Alyssa finished as she wiped her eyebrow.

"That doesn't sound good for my wallet." Natsu sighed.

"Sadly, it's about that time." Alyssa weakly smiled. "Keep the velvet box while I take the ring and go calculate the cost."

Natsu placed the velvet box into his vest and remained standing as Alyssa returned to her workshop to calculate the final price for the ring. A couple minutes later, she returned with a pair of glasses atop her face and a piece of paper in her hands.

"So the 950 Platinum with a 5% Titanium Allow will cost you 1750 Jewels."

"That's nothing!" Natsu scoffed.

"I wouldn't speak to soon. That's for the ring itself. The larger the gem, the harder it is to find naturally in nature and prices typically increase exponentially as a result. Considering this is a 30 carat Ruby we're talking about; the entire ring will cost you… 1000000 Jewels." Alyssa hesitated with her response expecting an insane reaction from Natsu. However, she nearly collapsed upon hearing what Natsu said.

"You had me scared for a bit! For a second, I thought I wouldn't have enough to pay for it." He said as he fished through his vest for a stack of cash which he chucked towards the counter.

"I knew you said money wasn't an object, but I assumed you were at least going to finance the ring!" Alyssa stuttered as she slowly brought herself to approach the money sitting on the counter.

"Wait… So I can't purchase with cash?" Natsu said worried.

"NONONO! I'm just shocked you're carrying around this sort of money!" Alyssa deadpanned at his seriousness. "Just give me a minute to count all of this!"

"Most of it comes from my quests I do with my team. I rarely spend money on anything but food, so it adds up over time." Natsu stated. "Feel free to take your time, I was just going to head home after this." Natsu reassured her.

After 5 minutes of Alyssa shuffling through the stack of Jewels, she pocketed the money before opening the counter's door again to stand face to face with Natsu.

"Natsu, its been an absolute pleasure being able to learn about your adventures! Please, give Lisanna your warmest regards for me after you've popped the question!" She winked with her bright personality. "And feel free to stop by and share more of your adventures whenever you're able to. This is typically the best time as I rarely get customers this late."

"Thank you so much Alyssa. I'll be back real soon since I still have to tell you about my adventures starting from that time I destroyed Hargeon Town." Natsu smiled devilishly. "Make sure to tell your grandparents I said hi!"

"Absolutely!" Alyssa chirped before extending her hand to Natsu who accepted it and gripped it firmly before letting go.

"I'll see you later!" Natsu yelled as he bolted out of Alyssa's parlor as the ringing of the door signified another satisfied customer. _"Time to go home and decide what to tell Lisanna tomorrow."_ He thought as he bolted down the cobblestone road ahead of him and out of the cul de sac.

* * *

Alyssa simply smiled and returned to her workshop to put out the furnace before closing up her parlor for the night. With a large yawn, she closed the furnace's opening which deprived the ember within it from oxygen. She proceeded to shut the cabinets that were still open before reaching into her pockets to reorganize the stack of Jewels that Natsu paid her with. As she reached down into her pocket, her eyes widened in fear as she felt her fingernails come into contact with a metallic object. She reluctantly pulled the object out expecting the worst possible outcome. In her hands lay a metallic ring with a perfectly cut blood red Ruby embedded at the top with a golden flame raging within it. Alyssa immediately bolted to her parlor's front door and yelled one word into the street. " **NATSU!** " She waited a response. However, she was too late. The pink haired Dragon Slayer was already out of earshot and there was no chance that the Fairy Tail Guild hall was still open at this time to drop the ring off there. She closed her parlor's front door before returning to her workshop to lock it up. She carefully placed the ring into another velvet box. Alyssa opened one of her cabinets, took out a sheet of paper and a pen, and locked the velvet box inside of the cabinet so she didn't risk misplacing or forgetting the priceless ring if she took it home. On the paper she wrote, _"Natsu Dragneel: please stop by again as soon as I open tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM."_ Before gathering her belongings and rushing back out to her parlor's front door to pin it against the frame.

" _If he's not back tomorrow morning, I'll have to stop by his guild to return his ring. Let's just hope Lisanna isn't there."_ She smiled to herself with hope as she locked the parlor's front door before heading out into the night.

* * *

Scene Change - A Couple Minutes Ago

As Natsu bolted from Alyssa's parlor back to his house, a lone figure on top of the plateau above where Natsu left from snarled at his presence. "So he's still alive. I'll just have to fix that." The person whispered before bolting away into the darkness.

* * *

Thank you for your time!

 **Story Note** : To clarify an important thing with Natsu's conversation with Alyssa, Natsu is the only one who still knows about his lack of strength. He only refers to his mistake (helping Gildarts out on his Century Quest) as an act of selfishness as he never did it to primarily save his life, but to prove his overall potential. He plans on telling Lisanna about how guilty he feels for acting out of selfishness (abandoning her to help Gildarts for a reason that she doesn't understand) in hopes that she can help him overcome it. Make sense? I hope it does.

In a nutshell, Natsu's selfishness extends to both abandoning Lisanna as well as feeling guilty for her vouching for him at the guild for the entirely wrong reasons for him helping Gildarts in the first place. When Natsu states that he wants Lisanna to help him overcome his selfishness, all he's saying is that he wants Lisanna to help him overcome his lack of strength which is why she deserves an apology. REMEMBER, NATSU'S APOLOGISING BECAUSE HE BELIEVES IF IT WEREN'T FOR HIS LACK OF STRENGTH AND SELFISHNESS, HE WOULDN'T HAVE NEEDED TO ABANDON LISANNA. HE WANTS HER HELP AS HE OVERCOMES THIS ADVERSITY. Actually, I feel like this is a much better explanation than the one above (:

I didn't want to end in a bad place so I just pushed through until Natsu left Alyssa's parlor. I hope you like her design as I plan on making her a supporting character for the rest of this little story!


End file.
